The Los Angeles Lakers have named JJ Redick the 29th head coach in franchise history. He succeeds Darvin Ham. Redick has been involved in the sports media landscape since retiring from the NBA in 2021.

He hosted the "Mind the Game" podcast with Lakers star LeBron James since March 2024, leading to speculation that the NBA's all-time leading scorer influenced him in getting his new job.

However, the 40-year-old denied those rumors and clarified James' involvement in his hire.

"He didn't provide any advice. LeBron and I did not talk about the Lakers job until Thursday afternoon, about 30 minutes after I was offered the job. That was very intentional on both our parts."

"I knew, I had an understanding that he did not want to be involved in this and for me I didn't want to go down the path of hypotheticals with someone I consider a friend and someone that I have a great amount of respect for," Redick added.

JJ Redick's podcast with LeBron James is ending for now

In March 2024, Redick and James launched the "Mind the Game" podcast, focusing on a deeper analysis of Xs and Os alongside personal stories from their NBA careers.

However, the former sharpshooter confirmed that he will end all of his podcast endeavors for now as he takes on the Lakers' job.

"I am, for the time being, and hopefully it's a very, very long time, I am excommunicated from the content space. There will be no podcast," the former Duke Blue Devil stated.