LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is not taking part in the team’s hunt for a new head coach, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

“I’m told LeBron James is not involved in the Lakers’ head coaching search,” Charania said. “I’ve reported on it last week. J.J. Redick, James Borrego, Sam Cassell are the lead initial targets. But LeBron James has made it clear. This is the organization’s decision. He’s had no conversations with the Lakers about J.J. Redick, his podcast partner. He’s had no conversations with J.J. about that position as well. I did speak to Rich Paul this morning. He said, ‘LeBron James and J.J. Redick, they do a podcast together. That does not mean that he wants J.J. Redick as his head coach.’ But he’s leaving it up to the organization. We’ll see what LeBron James decides for his future.”

Redick is apparently L.A.’s top choice to be its next head coach. The thought of the organization hiring Redick seems to be “scratching the heads” for several NBA players.

The Lakers are searching for a new head coach to take over for Darvin Ham, who has been managing the legendary team from the sidelines for the past two seasons.

Ham saw several highs and lows during his brief time as the renowned team’s head coach. The Lakers went 90-74 during the regular season under his coaching, and they made two postseason trips.

Under Ham, the Lakers prevailed much more in the 2023 NBA Playoffs than they did in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. For the first time since 2020, Los Angeles advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 by defeating both the reigning champion Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies, who concluded the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the conference.

Even though the Lakers were defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals, some saw the season as a success for a club that had to battle to even make it to the playoffs after having to battle through the play-in round.

The Lakers had a chance to get even with the Nuggets in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but Los Angeles was once again completely outmatched. One bright spot from the Lakers’ first-round exit was that they were the victims of a gentleman’s sweep rather than a clean sweep, which contrasted with the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

Denver might have swept Los Angeles for the second straight year if James’s performance in Game 4 hadn’t occurred. James is apparently not participating in the Lakers’ coaching search. In less than 39 minutes of play, the 39-year-old finished with 14 of 23 shots from the field for 30 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block.

Whether it’s Redick, Borrego, Cassell, or someone else entirely, the Lakers should pick a head coach that will help position the team to capture its 18th championship in franchise history in 2025.