JJ Redick will interview for the head coaching job of the Charlotte Hornets, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Redick, a 16-year NBA veteran, has no professional or collegiate coaching experience at any level. Since retiring from the NBA in 2021, Redick has been a broadcaster at ESPN. He calls games for the network, appears on studio shows and has hosted podcasts. In addition to his own podcast, The Old Man and the Three, he also co-hosts a new podcast with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called Mind the Game.
Redick was considered a high-IQ player during his lengthy NBA career, and he has drawn praise for his media work. He is known for his willingness to break down the game's X's and O's and tries to steer on-air conversations in that direction. While he has not taken an assistant job, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla tried to hire him for one last offseason. He also interviewed with the Toronto Raptors for their head-coaching job last year.
The Hornets are currently going through an organizational shift. Michael Jordan sold the team to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall last offseason, and former Nets executive Jeff Peterson has taken over as the team's new head of basketball operations. Now, he is looking for a head coach to replace Steve Clifford, who is moving into a front office role.
While it is rare for a coach to be hired to a head job without any experience, it is not unprecedented. Notably, Peterson was part of the front office in Brooklyn when Sean Marks hired Steve Nash as his head coach without any experience as an assistant, though Nash had worked in a part-time developmental role for the Golden State Warriors.
The Hornets are interviewing a number of more conventional candidates for their job, including assistants like David Adelman and Charles Lee. Two other candidates that were reportedly under consideration were Jordi Fernandez, who has been hired as the new coach of the Nets, and Kevin Young, who has been hired as the new coach at BYU. Redick lacks their coaching experience, but as a longtime player and respected broadcaster, he certainly has enough experience in basketball for a coaching job.
