Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick met with the media on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles ahead of the start of the 2025-26 Lakers season, and Pelinka made a rather surprising announcement to open things up.
Despite Redick going into just his second year as Lakers coach, the organization decided to reward him for a strong first season with a new contract extension before training camp started. Pelinka did not reveal any specifics on the deal, but it will extend the four-year deal Redick signed prior to last season to become a first-time head coach.
The Lakers went 50-32 in Redick’s first season at the helm, earning the 3-seed in the Western Conference before a first round loss to the Timberwolves in the playoffs. Pelinka said they wanted to cement Redick’s place as their “basketball leader” for the future, and gave him a longer term deal that will go beyond the 2027-28 season he was already signed through.
Given the commitment the Lakers got from Luka Dončić this summer with a new extension for the star they acquired in the middle of last season, this feels like as much a vote of confidence from the Lakers in Redick as it is confirmation of Dončić’s support for Redick as the coach. Those two had a past relationship as brief teammates in Dallas, and now they are set to be two of the faces of Lakers basketball for the foreseeable future.