It was quite a surprise when former Duke basketball standout and NBA veteran JJ Redick was named the Los Angeles Lakers head coach last year. But just under a year later, Redick has the Lakers primed for a run in the NBA Playoffs and is receiving overwhelming praise from his superstar player, LeBron James.
During his recent appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, James spoke about his feelings with regard to the Duke basketball program. In doing so, he compared his head coach to Blue Devil legend and former Team USA head coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
When asked by McAfee if he thought Redick had a lot of Coach K in him, James emphatically agreed.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” he said on the show. “He’s meant for it, and there’s some things that can’t be explained. But when you got the ‘it’ factor, it’s just like, ‘Oh, yeah.’”
LeBron James talking about hating Duke growing up and states that he sees Coach K in JJ Redick!
The 2024-25 Lakers sit at No. 5 in the Western Conference standings with their 43-28 record.
Redick was a standout player in the Duke basketball program under Krzyzewski’s command, winning Naismith Player of the Year and later having his No. 4 jersey retired before enjoying a 15-year NBA career as a reliable sharpshooter.
