Report: Charlotte Hornets interviewing J.J. Redick for head coaching job

NBA insider Shams Charania reports Monday that the Charlotte Hornets are interviewing former NBA shooting guard and current analyst J.J. Redick for their vacant head coaching job.

Redick retired from the league in 2021 following 15 years in the NBA and a prolific college career with the Duke Blue Devils. Since his playing days have ended he’s had a successful career as an NBA podcaster, analyst, and broadcaster. Expressing interest in eventually getting into coaching on numerous occasions following the conclusion of his playing career.

A dream that could be closer to a reality following a successful interview with the Hornets organization.

“You certainly miss the competitive side of professional basketball when you retire, and that’s probably the biggest itch,” Redick told Dan Patrick last May. “I’m loving what I’m doing right now and I am in a very fortunate situation that I can kind of wait and just see if there’s anything that materializes that’s sort of a perfect fit.”

The Hornets tied for the third-worst record in the NBA to end the regular season, finishing the year 21-61 in their second consecutive season under Steve Clifford following a previous five-year tenure with the organization.

Meanwhile, Redick’s media career has blossomed, becoming an emerging voice in the NBA space after launching podcasts on Yahoo! Sports, Uninterrupted, and The Ringer, before starting his own media company. Currently hosting ‘The Old Man and the Three‘ with Tommy Alter under ThreeFourTwo Productions and also recently launching ‘Mind the Game‘ alongside LeBron James.

Redick also serves as an on-air analyst for ESPN, spending time as a guest on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ and on the broadcast team of ESPN’s NBA coverage. Moved to the network’s lead team alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke to replace Doc Rivers after he became head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in February.

At Duke Redick was the 2006 National Player of the Year, a two-time Consensus First-Team All-American, a two-time ACC Player of the Year, and notably one of the most hated college basketball players in the history of the game. Ending his college career as the Blue Devils’ all-time leading scorer before being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.

In the NBA Redick scored 12,028 points between his time with six different organizations, regarded as one of the best three-point shooters in the league during his playing days.

“I’ve talked with teams now going on a year about assistant jobs and I’m interested in being a head coach. I don’t have to start as a head coach, I don’t have to start as an assistant, doesn’t matter to me. It’s more just about the fit and the people that are at the organization,” Redick also said to Patrick last year.

It will be fascinating to see if Redick and the Hornets are a good fit following their recent change in ownership. With Michael Jordan selling his majority stake of the franchise in August of 2023 to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. Potentially presenting Redick with yet another opportunity to excel in another new role in the basketball landscape.