The Lakers took a massive risk by hiring JJ Redick as their new head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. The gig is not just Redick’s first time as an NBA head coach but his first time coaching professionally. But, despite multiple question marks, Redick is thriving.
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Jeanie Buss, the owner of the Lakers, is ecstatic she made the right decision. While on the game front, the coach has dispelled doubts over his stint, there was another matter that was keeping it in the uncertain realms for Buss. Often, we tend to not take into account the human factors involved in the lives of people in NBA positions.
Before Redick accepted the Lakers job, his family lived in Brooklyn. He had to uproot everyone to relocate to Los Angeles. His wife, Chelsea, wasn’t the most eager for a refresh. And Buss feared she would move out of LA, potentially jeopardizing the organization.
To make matters worse, Redick and his family lost their house in the California wildfires in early January. Buss had a deep fear that this would be the tipping point for Chelsea to shift to New York again.
“I was worried that his wife was going to [say], ‘Okay, I’m out. I’m done. This was not meant to be’,” Buss told Julian Edelman on the Games with Names podcast. “
“Instead, they realized they want to be a part of rebuilding the community. They’ve already taken their place in the Laker family.”
Chelsea’s professional standing in New York was another reason Buss feared she would opt to leave L.A. After all, she was a registered real estate agent in New York. Chelsea had established work and friends networks there, and her family was content too. The easy decision, especially after the wildfires, would’ve been to go back to where she was comfortable.
Instead, the Redick family turned a negative situation into something positive. Chelsea and JJ felt a profound sense of calling to do their part in helping those in the community who also suffered loss due to the wildfires.
Chelsea’s willingness to stay has had a deeper impact than fans may understand. It has allowed Redick to remain fully focused on coaching the Lakers to his best abilities. That shows in the standings.
The Lakers are now third in the West with a 40-23 record. And since January, after the Luka Doncic trade, they have been on a hot streak, increasingly looking like a bona fide championship contender.
Despite not being with the Lakers for a full season yet, Buss proclaims JJ, Chelsea and the kids will always be a part of the Lakers family. Although they left a community in Brooklyn, they gained another in Los Angeles.
