Adrian Wojnarowski’s Suggestion Aided JJ Redick to Land Lakers Job Years After Ditching Career Offer

In 2016, something unheard in the NBA media business went down. An active player started a podcast. Since then, the platform opened up for players beyond a traditional studio job. The OG? He didn’t have to transition from the court to the studio because he was already in it. JJ Redick’s self-made media resume was a very impressive blueprint for the modern retiring NBA star. And before it gave him an entry into the Lakers’ top job, it was a little earworm from an industry veteran that made it happen.

Adrian Wojnarowski went from reporter and athlete to JJ Redick’s colleague and friend during the latter’s media career. Now both left sideline reporting to be on the floor with a team. But that wouldn’t have been possible for JJ if not for Woj.

Now, while he serves as a general manager of the St Bonaventure basketball team, Woj made a tiny return to the media business to talk to Jao Mile. When he was asked about this new way of ex-NBA players turning to podcasting, he sort of implied he was the trigger.

“One of the things that I’m proud of is… I think it was the first active athlete podcast was JJ Redick and … he and I had come up with that together when I was at Yahoo and offered him [a job].” The job was to actively contribute to a Yahoo Sports column. Redick though was not ready for that level of responsibility. “Nah, it’s going to feel like I’m in high school again. I got homework due. I don’t want that hanging over me,” he told Woj.

So Woj suggested trying podcasting instead. “And he said, ‘That’s interesting.’ And he thought about it and he said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it.”‘ That’s how The Vertical podcast hosted by then Clippers player, JJ Redick, was born. And Woj is like a proud dad watching his baby blossom.

“He was better at it than everybody else, like the first one out. And so… we kind of started that together, which was pretty, pretty amazing,” the former NBA insider told Miles. Redick took an idea from Woj and built one of the strongest resumes for an ex player turning to media. It can be said, if it wasn’t for Woj, Redick wouldn’t be where he is right now.

Woj’s idea opened a gateway for JJ Redick’s coaching career

JJ Redick was pretty steeped into the sportscasting business by the time he retired. From The Vertical, it was coonsecutive successes with The Chronicles of Redick and The Old Man and the Three. It wasn’t all that surprising when he got that analyst position at ESPN. It was unique however, when LeBron James got into the podcast space and tapped Redick to co-host Mind the Game.

According to Woj, Redick brought the variety to the NBA media in his former career. “It’s great because there’s lots of different perspectives on the game. There’s a journalist perspective, there’s an analytical perspective, there’s a player perspective, there’s a coach perspective, and not every podcast is for every listener, but I think there’s an audience out there of people who have a particular interest or like hearing all of those perspectives.”

While it was looking like Bron is laying the foundation for a post-retirement media career, ESPN was in constant flux. It’s on-air NBA team was a revolving door of analysts getting fired or leaving. Doc Rivers and Stan Van Gundy had left to coach. Adrian Wojnarowski chose to leave media altogether. Then the ESPN charm caught JJ Redick.

He was in talks for the Lakers head coaching position while co-hosting Mind the Game. There’s a strong speculation his direct partnership with James gave him a leg up. In June 2024, Redick agreed to a four year deal to coach the Lakers. So his media career had to be put on hold.

Redick left ESPN for his new sideline job and he took a break from his production company, ThreeFourTwo Productions. He however, continued Mind the Game in parallel with coaching duties for a season. In March 2025, shortly after gaining Luka Doncic, Redick left podcasting for good. His old co-host, Steve Nash replaced him on Mind the Game. We can thank Woj for keeping the NBA media alive even from a distance.