The Charlotte Hornets are interviewing JJ Redick for his head coaching position, league sources said Monday. Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran and former Duke star, has shown interest in making the jump to coaching in recent years.
Since the end of his playing career in 2021, Redick has been an NBA analyst on ESPN. He also recently released a basketball podcast with LeBron James. Although he is a household name in the NBA world, Redick has no coaching experience at the professional or collegiate level.
He averaged 12.8 points per game and shot 41.5% from 3 during his NBA career, which included time with the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Hornets were looking for a coach to replace Steve Clifford, who resigned from the position at the end of the season.
Charlotte was granted permission to interview Lindsey Harding, the head coach of the G League’s Stockton Kings, earlier this month. NBA assistants also interviewed for the job, including Boston Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee, who joined Boston before this season after spending a decade on Mike Budenholzer’s staff in Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Lee and Redick are considered good candidates, among others.
What could this mean for ESPN?
If you prefer irony, imagine ESPN losing its second NBA Finals analyst in the same year. Remember, Doc Rivers opted out of his ESPN contract in January to take the Bucks job. What would happen next for ESPN? Well, if we play out the scenario of hiring Redick, the timing of the hire would be a factor. He could play in the NBA Finals if nothing becomes official before the championship series ends. Plus, Mike Breen and Doris Burke could easily call the NBA Finals without a third party. Dave Roberts, ESPN’s head of events and studio production and head of NBA and WNBA production, promoted Redick and Richard Jefferson as well as play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco to the No. 2 team ‘ESPN before Redick got the promotion, so Jefferson would be someone to think about next season. The decision to let lead analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson go during the company’s layoffs last summer could once again put ESPN in a difficult personnel situation. — Richard Deitsch, Senior Sports Media Editor
Required reading
(Photo: Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images)