After a 15-year playing career, JJ Redick is in his second year coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, but he’s still catching some heat for his podcaster-to-coach career path. This time, the shot came from Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.
Finch took a swipe at Redick almost as soon as he hit the couch on a live episode of “The Zach Lowe Show.” When discussing Lowe’s return to podcasting earlier this year, Finch said the veteran journalist now has the resume necessary to coach in Los Angeles.
“I mean, it’ll qualify you to coach the Lakers,” Finch said with a smirk.
Redick launched a podcast while still playing and continued to hold a prominent voice in the space after his playing career ended in 2021. Redick jumped off the mic and into a coaching gig with the Lakers while the 56-year-old Finch took the scenic route to the NBA, spending more than a decade with various teams in Europe before getting a G League gig with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2009.
Even when Finch did break through into the NBA, he spent a decade as an assistant before the Timberwolves hired him to be their head coach in 2021. Finch even coached Redick when he was an assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans from 2017-20.
In fairness to Redick, he’s had some success in the first 94 games of his coaching career. Last season, he coached the Lakers to a 50-32 record before they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Finch’s Timberwolves.
This year, the Lakers are off to an 8-4 start with a pair of wins over the Timberwolves, and that has all come with star LeBron James sidelined due to injury. Minnesota, meanwhile, is 7-4 on the year. The Lakers and Wolves won’t face off again until March 10 in Los Angeles.
