The Los Angeles Lakers have hired JJ Redick as the new head coach.

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly hired JJ Redick for a four-year coaching contract, according to an ESPN NBA analyst. Redick, who played 15 years in the league, met with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss over the weekend. Discussions about the coaching vacancy continued throughout the week.

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president and general manager, is said to have offered Redick the coaching job on Thursday morning. Sources indicate that Pelinka was impressed with Redick’s ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ. He believes that by providing Redick with an elite coaching staff, the learning curve for his first coaching job will be significantly shortened, which could benefit the Lakers strategically.

Redick emerged as the top coaching choice after Connecticut coach Dan Hurley declined a six-year, $70 million contract offer. It’s believed that LeBron James’ has a good relationship with Redick which could be a contributing factor in his consideration for the position. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers perform under JJ’s leadership.