Former NBA player Steve Francis slams Lakers for decision to hire JJ Redick as coach

After an extensive search and one candidate rejecting an offer, the Los Angeles Lakers named former NBA player JJ Redick as the franchise's next head coach in June.

Dan Hurley, who coached the UConn Huskies men's basketball team to a second consecutive NCAA title in April, turned down an offer from the Lakers in June.

The franchise's choice quickly drew both praise and skepticism, with many critics pointing to Redick's lack of coaching experience. This week, three-time NBA All-Star Steve Francis became the latest critic to voice concerns about the Lakers' decision.

“I love basketball, but that’s not possible just because he went to Duke and he’s criticizing people on TV like he seems like a great coach.” , Francis recently told the “Live from the District” podcast.

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Former NBA player Steve Francis attends a Chicago Bulls-Houston Rockets game on February 3, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Francis then mentioned a few assistant coaches he thought the Lakers could have considered during their coaching search.

“But I look at him like all these other guys who have done a lot of work. You have my friend David Vanterpool here in Washington. You have Sam Cassell. You have so many guys who have championship experience. All these guys who have “

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Before accepting the Lakers coaching job, Redick hosted the podcast “The Old Man and the Three.” He also co-hosted the “Mind the Game” podcast with four-time NBA champion LeBron James.

During his introductory press conference, Redick acknowledged his nonexistent NBA coaching history.

“I've never coached in the NBA before. I don't know if you've heard that,” Redick said with a sarcastic smile.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at the UCLA Health Training Center. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports)

But a reporter followed that statement from Redick by asking him if he had heard the critics and naysayers and if he was looking to clear up “misconceptions” about being the team's next head coach.

“That’s a valid question, and I’ve certainly heard it all,” Redick responded. “It's been about six really interesting weeks just being a part of the engagement farming industry. It's been really interesting.

“However, I don't really have a good answer to your questions because I really don't care. Honestly, I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don't. I don't want to diss whatever it is. I want to be a great NBA coach, and I want to win championships and I want my players to maximize their careers.

JJ Redick before Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on June 9, 2024, in Boston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Although Redick spent 15 seasons in the NBA, Francis suggested Redick might have trouble getting his message across in the Lakers locker room. He also predicted that James would essentially ignore Coach Redick.

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“What's going to happen is like Darvin Ham is the coach. LeBron won't listen to a word JJ says,” Francis added. “Why would you listen to him? I wouldn't listen to him if he was coaching me. I'll just watch how well I cook him and I'll be like, 'What are you saying? You know what I do, then talk to someone else.

“So it's definitely going to be tough for him to get through it and the camaraderie with the circus around him and his son, it's going to be a lot of distraction for a rookie trainer, and we'll see what happens.”

The Lakers have three preseason games remaining before their regular season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.

Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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