Lakers Consulting Surprise Basketball Legend in Head Coach Search.
A legendary basketball figure has emerged as a consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers in their search for a head coach.
The Los Angeles Lakers are desperately trying to find their next head coach. They are casting a wide net to find the right coach after Darvin Ham as they are currently in the process of interviewing candidates.
Since this decision will determine the future of LeBron James and therefore the franchise for the next couple of years, the Lakers can’t afford to make a mistake with the hire.
With that in mind, they are bringing out the big guns to ensure they make the right pick. According to the latest reporting by Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are consulting legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in the process.
Coach K is widely considered one of the greatest American basketball coaches of all-time. Having coached Duke for 42 seasons where he won five national championships, Krzyzewski also led Team USA to three straight gold medals in the Olympics.
LeBron James always spoke fondly of Coach K as the two know each other very well from summers with Team USA. This could potentially be seen as a positive sign for LeBron staying in Los Angeles.
It could definitely be seen as a plus for J.J. Redick, who is one of the shortlisted candidates for the position. Redick is a fellow Duke legend like Coach K as he played under him for four seasons in Durham.
Redick, who is LeBron’s podcast co-host and close friend, is considered a frontrunner for the Lakers coaching vacancy. Whether Coach K will endorse his former player or recommend a different name for GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the Lakers top brass isn’t leaving anything to chance.
