JJ Redick (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Since the Lakers’ early playoffs exit and subsequent firing of Darvin Ham, the drama surrounding the vacant HC seat continued. Even after over a month of Ham’s dismissal, the LA franchise is looking for a successor.

Dan Hurley came into the conversation and was slated to land the job before he took a U-turn to remain with UConn. Now we’re back to square one with JJ Redick finding himself in the middle of a maddening situation.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the former Magic guard is set for an in-depth interview with the Lakers front office on the weekend. A strong performance can put him firmly in the driver’s seat to land the job after the two parties had a meeting during the NBA Draft Combine last month.

Other candidates in the race featured Sam Cassell, James Borrego, and Jay Wright. The Pelicans associate HC is now leading the race to join LeBron James’ former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers after J.B. Bickerstaff was relieved of his duties a few weeks ago.

For JJ Redick, the delay might be due to his commitment to calling the NBA Finals games between the Celtics and the Mavs, and as things are going, he might not have to wait beyond Friday. While Redick’s appointment rumors were heating up, an old video surfaced on social media that featured the Lakers great, Jerry West.

JJ Redick’s Disrespectful Comments About Jerry West Re-Surface

The NBA world bid farewell to one of its cornerstones Jerry West. The logo of the league’s demise has deeply saddened the hoopers community and tributes have flooded in. Among all this, a video of West went viral where the former de facto leader of the Lakers had some stern words for Redick.

Back in 2022, JJ Redick caused quite a stir with his comments about ’60s basketball. He referred to most of the players as “firemen and plumbers”, which offended Jerry West for obvious reasons.

When asked about it on “SiriusXM NBA Radio,” West said, “He’s a smart kid but tell me what his career looks like. What did he do that determined games? He averaged 12 PTS a game. Somewhere along the way numbers count.”

The footage is making rounds on social media as it could’ve hindered Redick’s candidacy if West had been involved with the Lakers rather than the Clippers.

Hopefully, the re-emergence of the comment did not make too many Lakers fans grumpy because the HC job itself is a massive acid test, let alone the championship demand of the fans.