Jeanie Buss Gets Brutally Honest About Lakers Settling For JJ Redick

The Los Angeles Lakers hired J.J. Redick to be the team’s next head coach this summer. Although they said all the right things about the move before and afterwards, anyone following the process knows that the former Duke standout was actually not their first choice.

L.A. made a heavy push to steal Dan Hurley away from UConn – but ultimately they failed. Not only did his wife have zero interest in coming to Los Angeles, but the prospect of winning another National Championship at the collegiate level seemed far more appealing to Hurley himself.

After Hurley passed on joining the purple and gold, the Lakers settled for Redick. Almost immediately after he was hired, Redick became embroiled in a really messy Scandal.

This week Lakers owner Jeanie Buss did an interview and during it revealed her brutally honest feelings on Redick coming in as coach.

“We wanted to kind of think a different way,” Buss said.

“Really, he’s got a vision. I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different and really invest in developing young players. J.J. is the right person for us.

“Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself, so I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish. I’m really impressed with his staff. Right now, it’s not mandatory for the players to come in and practice but players are coming in and working out.

“The coaching staff with Nate McMillan and Scotty Brooks, there’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. Certainly a 12-year career in the league, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what this league is about, and I think he’ll be a great leader.”

Jeanie Buss suggests she would pay Lebron more if not for the salary cap when asked about the risk/mileage of Lebron playing in the Olympics as the Lakers biggest asset:

“Yes he’s our highest paid player, but he’s still a bargain to me.” Via @PetrosAndMoney of @AM570LASports pic.twitter.com/W73nPhnyJi

— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) August 22, 2024

Redick already got started with a bang by demanding that the front office make one big change ASAP and with his plan for Bronny James.

The question now is how effective he will be when the Games actually begin.

Time will tell if Redick has what it takes to actually become a successful Lakers coach. Many others have tried and failed.

Jennifer Withers Hoey

Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about Sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.