Lakers extend JJ Redick ahead of 2025-26 season, GM Rob Pelinka says:

Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka rattled off his team’s offseason accomplishments Thursday at a Lakers media availability.

He mentioned the Lakers signing center Deandre Ayton, bringing aboard wings Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart and, of course, inking Luka Dončić to a three-year, $165 million max extension. Pelinka also noted four-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP LeBron James picking up his $52.6 million player option.

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But then, in that same opening statement, Pelinka subtly dropped some news:

“And in addition to that, too, recently extending JJ’s [Redick] contract just to make it clear that he’s the basketball leader, in terms of our coaching and on-court performance.”

The Lakers hired Redick last year, signing him to a four-year deal at the time despite his lack of NBA coaching experience and limited coaching experience overall.

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Now they’ve extended the 41-year-old player-turned-coach ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Redick led the Lakers to a 50-32 record and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season before Los Angeles bowed out to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

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“Rob and I, we have a lot of the same philosophies on life, and one of the words we always talk about is ‘gratitude,'” Redick said Thursday, when asked about receiving the extension.

“And so I think it starts with just a high level of gratitude to the Lakers, to [Lakers majority owner] Mark [Walter], Jeanie [Buss] and Rob for having that confidence in me. It’s not lost on me, the sort of rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension. I recognize how fortunate I am to be with an organization that supports me that way.”