JJ Redick is set to earn $32 million over four years from his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers despite virtually no coaching experience, as the 40-year-old is tasked with guiding LeBron James and Anthony Davis to basketball glory.

Working out at an average pay of $8 million per year, the ex-fourth grade coach at the Brooklyn Basketball Academy will be competing for a top-10 NBA salary after being appointed as the 29th boss in franchise history on June 24, 2024.

He’s even on a competitive salary with the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Malone and Dallas Maverick’s Jason Kidd, despite the pair guiding their sides to the NBA Finals with Malone even going one step further by winning the 2023 edition.

Redick possibly not the first pick by the Lakers

Redick is known for his close friendship with James and will likely keep the four-time champion on his side within the locker room, which might be why the Lakers were keen to offer him such a strong salary in order to ensure the 6ft 9in power forward remains in California.

But the 2006 overall 11th pick by the Orlando Magic wasn’t the first name booked for the hot seat, according to Adrian Wojnarowski who reported that the Lakers had offered $70m over six seasons to the UConn Huskies’ Dan Hurley.

However the back-to-back NCAA Division I Tournament champion politely declined the chance to take the reins at the Crypto.com Arena, leading to some speculation of whether an offer was ever really made at all.

“When the process was going on and we first met in Chicago, I was getting ready to call Game 1 of the NBA Finals when the Dan Hurley news broke,” Redick told media. “And Rob [Pelinka, General Manager] was quick to call me. We had a great conversation.

“During that four-day period, at no point was my ego or my feelings hurt or bruised in any way. Dan Hurley is a two-time national champion at UConn.

“I am a two-time 55 Swish League champion in the third and fourth-grade division. I understood.”