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By Noah Camras
Contributing Sports Writer
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Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka announced that head coach JJ Redick signed a contract extension with the team ahead of his second season in charge of the club.
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The terms of the contract are currently unknown.
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“Getting an extension done with Luka (Doncic), in addition (to) having LeBron (James) choose another year with the Lakers as opposed to entering free agency — all positive, productive things for us as a basketball team,” Pelinka said on Thursday in Los Angeles as he sat next to Redick for their first press conference of the season. “In addition to that, too, recently extending JJ's contract just to make it clear that he's the basketball leader in terms of our coaching and on-court performance.”
Redick initially signed a four-year contract with the Lakers last offseason. Now, he appears set to remain in charge of the team for the foreseeable future.
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"Confidence and belief," Pelinka said of the decision behind extending Redick after just one season. "We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us to continue to define the culture of Lakers excellence. We just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into, and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team going forward."
The Lakers chose Redick to be the team's next head coach last year in a surprise move, as Redick did not have any previous coaching experience. Nevertheless, he impressed LA throughout the interview process, and his relationship with LeBron James, who he co-hosted a podcast with, didn't hurt.
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The Lakers had tons of confidence in Redick being the right man for the job, and after one year, they saw signs that proved them right.
The Lakers went 50-32 — their highest win total since the 2019-20 season — and finished as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. While LA lost in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves, there was still much to be excited about, especially following the midseason trade for Luka Doncic.
The Lakers signed Doncic to a massive contract extension this offseason. Now, with Redick extended, too, the Lakers have their superstar player and head coach locked up for the foreseeable future.
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