The Los Angeles Lakers have a track record of moving on from head coaches quickly. For now at least, the team has made their stance on JJ Redick crystal clear, signing him to a new contract extension this summer.
Expectations are high in Hollywood for NBA head coaches. The Los Angeles Lakers have a long tradition of being the league's most glamourous franchise, with 17 championships and 65 playoff appearances in their 78-year history. When you take over at the helm of the Lakers, the bar is championship or bust.
When JJ Redick took over as head coach before last season, the timer was immediately started and the temperature started to rise. Darvin Ham preceded Redick as head coach of the Lakers and lasted just two seasons despite making the playoffs in both years and overseeing a run all the way to the Western Conference Finals. It wasn't enough.
Frank Vogel coached the team to a title and two years later was fired. Luke Walton lasted just three seasons during a rebuilding season. Prior to Walton, the Lakers had four different coaches in five seasons. Even going back to the Showtime years, the Lakers churned through Jack McKinney and Paul Westhead before actually committing to a coach in Pat Riley, who spent eight seasons at the helm.
Even Phil Jackson, who won five titles with the Lakers, was pushed out after a trip to the Finals and rehired a year later. The Lakers demand excellence, and if you do not achieve instant results, you have to pack your bags and move on very quickly.
JJ Redick took over as head coach without any previous head coaching experience with a team with championship expectations. LeBron James was turning 40 years old, Anthony Davis was in his prime and the roster was built to try and win in the present. Amidst a tumultuous year where Davis was swapped out for Luka Doncic, Redick led the Lakers to 50 wins -- but also a fast playoff exit.
Real questions swirled around Redick and the Lakers this summer. Was he the right answer? Was there a more proven coach who could come in and oversee things like playoff adjustments? Was Redick the right man for the job?
The Lakers committed again to JJ Redick
The Lakers evidently thought so, as Rob Pelinka announced in the team's pre-Training Camp News Conference that the team had signed Redick to a contract extension this summer:
Rob Pelinka announces the Lakers recently extended JJ Redick’s contract to double-down on their commitment to him.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 25, 2025
Redick was only one year into his deal; most head coach contracts to start are four or five years with a team option at the end. Redick was not a lame duck coach nor had he necessarily coached way above his initial deal. The Lakers didn't have to double-down.
That they did speaks volumes of how they view him as a coach. Redick and the Lakers may not have made a deep playoff run last season, but he has proven himself on nearly every other level to be a fantastic first-year head coach. He is calm and thoughtful, he knows how to motivate players, he is a great communicater and a top-notch strategist. The Lakers maintained defensive excellence last year despite massive roster changes, and the offense had creative wrinkles at times to maximize talent that did not fit together seamlessly.
Doncic is now svelte and ready to compete for a title. LeBron James will turn 41 before the end of 2025. Austin Reaves is in a contract year. Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart joined the roster to try and make a run. The pressure remains high in Hollywood, and Redick will need to step up to the plate.
So far, however, so good. The Lakers have their man.