Duke basketball superstar will not be removed from NBA Finals after major report

It seems like it is only a matter of time before Duke basketball legend JJ Redick is named as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Lakers are "zeroing in" on Redick to be its next coach after multiple reports surfaced that he was the frontrunner for the coveted job.

it would be the first head coaching job for the 15-year NBA veteran.

However, Redick is scheduled to take center stage at the NBA Finals as a color analyst on the top ESPN broadcast team. Many thought that the report of his new venture would take him off the coverage of the series, but he denies that.

"My focus, right now, is on the NBA Finals," Redick said on GoJo and Golic on Wednesday morning.

"In terms of [Charania's report], that will be addressed once the season is over. I'll just say that."

JJ Redick is one of many former Duke basketball players that will be featured in the NBA Finals, including Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, along with assistant coach Amile Jefferson, as well as Dallas Mavericks standouts Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively.

Redick averaged 12.8 points during his NBA career and has carved out one of the biggest media roles in the sport since his retirement. He played 13 games with the Mavericks in the 2020-21 season, which was the last season in his career.

He was promoted to the ESPN's top broadcasting team for the NBA after the dismissal of Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy last season in addition to the departure of Doc Rivers in the midst of the season to become the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

JJ Redick recently launched a podcast with Lakers superstar LeBron James called Mind the Game. Many believed the relationship created by Redick and James while doing the podcast led to the former Blue Devil becomming the frontrunner for Los Angeles' coaching vacancy.

There has been no official announcement from the Lakers regarding JJ Redick.