As the Raptors continue their coaching search following the firing of title-winning head coach Nick Nurse, an interesting name has been linked to the open position.
According to a report from Michael Grange of Sportsnet, the Raptors have “looked into the possibility” of hiring ESPN analyst JJ Redick as the team’s new coach. Redick was listed among “wild card” candidates by Grange, a list that also included former Toronto coach Dwane Casey.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday afternoon that Redick has completed an interview for the Toronto job. He was part of a first round of candidates to meet with the franchise’s leadership.
Aces coach Becky Hammon has also been linked as a strong candidate for the position given her NBA ties as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and her swift success at the WNBA level in Las Vegas where she has already guided the Aces to a championship.
As for Redick, his name has emerged as a candidate after expressing interest in coaching one day on his Old Man & The Three podcast. Since retiring from the NBA two seasons ago, the 38-year-old has launched a successful media career with his popular podcast, his appearance as a studio analyst for ESPN and his job as a color commentator on NBA games for the network.
The Raptors fired Nick Nurse last month with one year remaining on his deal after a 41–41 season. Nurse delivered the franchise its first NBA title in 2019 behind star player Kawhi Leonard, but Toronto has failed to make it to the conference finals in each of the last four seasons.
