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Lakers News: Stephen A. Smith Claims Coaches Have Issue With LeBron James, JJ Redick Podcast

Should people be angry about this?

Matt Levine

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The Los Angeles Lakers are still searching for a new head coach, despite the NBA Draft being only a week away. Los Angeles has been looking for over a month but hasn't been able to settle on anyone just yet.

However, former NBA guard JJ Redick has emerged as the frontrunner for the position and he just interviewed with the team over the weekend. Assuming the interview went well, the job is likely Redick's to lose at this point.

Part of the appeal of Redick has been the incredible job he has done as a basketball podcaster over the years. He recently started up one with Lakers superstar LeBron James, where the two men break down different basketball plays in great form.

The Mind the Game podcast has become one of the best available to fans but some haven't been happy with it. There are those who believe James started this podcast with Redick to vet him for the Lakers head coaching position.

According to ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, multiple coaches around the NBA are upset at the podcast that James and Redick have done. Smith says that it's due to how it ended up impacting former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.

"Numerous coaches, Black coaches called me expressing how they took issue with that podcast taking place."

Ham was likely going to be fired by the Lakers even if the podcast hadn't happened. His inability to make in-game adjustments when it mattered most cost him and the team during games.

He also had seemingly lost the locker room toward the end of his tenure and a change needed to be made. Smith has been on record about his disapproval of the Ham firing so this is nothing new from him.

Everyone will have an opinion about whether Ham should have been fired after only two seasons but something needed to be done. If Redick does end up getting the Lakers' job, it won't be just due to the podcast. He is one of the brightest minds in basketball and has been planning his rise to the coaching ranks for some time.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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