The Lakers have a new coach for LeBron James and it's not JJ Redick

The Los Angeles Lakers are close to getting their new coach. With the NBA offseason just around the corner, they must act quickly to get to work as early as possible.

Most signs pointed at former NBA player JJ Redick getting the nod. Shams Charania of The Athletic even claimed that the Lakers were ‘infatuated’ by his potential.

Now, a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN states otherwise. Apparently, they want another rookie NBA coach to lead LeBron James. However, this one has plenty of experience at the collegiate level.

Lakers To Hire Dan Hurley As New Coach

“The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to escalate discussions in the coming days, sources told ESPN. Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers’ search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing several other candidates,” wrote Woj.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka

LeBron Loves His New Coach

Hurley has won back-to-back NCAA championships and has a coaching winning percentage of .709 with the Huskies. On top of that, he’s excelled at player development, which could be huge for the Lakers if they get Bronny James:

“As for the Lakers’ stars, LeBron James has been impressed with Hurley’s sophisticated offensive actions. Assuming James returns to L.A. in free agency, the possibility of using the 55th pick in this month’s NBA draft on USC freshman guard Bronny James makes Hurley an even more intriguing candidate. If that happens, James gets a chance to play with his son and the benefit of Hurley and his staff becoming responsible for Bronny’s pro development,“ the report added.

This isn’t sheer speculation. Apparently, James himself has had nothing but praise for his soon-to-be coach, taking to social media to gush about his offensive creativity:

“In a social media post responding to a podcast interview with JJ Redick, James posted on X about Hurley: ‘He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their [offense]. Love it,'” added Woj.

see also

NBA Rumors: The Lakers" reported dream target to help LeBron James

This is why Woj continues to be the king of the game. As for Shams, Redick claimed that he would address his reports in due time, hinting at potential beef between them.