The Lakers are reportedly closing in on a favorite for their new head coach. 

JJ Redick has emerged as the top candidate, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“Going into this process and right now, my sense is that JJ Redick, he is the guy around the league that everyone believes is the front-runner for this job,” Charania said. 

The Lakers’ front office was said to be “intrigued” by Redick after the team fired head coach Darvin Ham following their first-round playoff exit this year. 

There are questions as to whether Redick — current ESPN analyst and podcast host of “The Old Man and the Three” and “Mind the Game” with Lakers star LeBron James — could lead an NBA team with no professional coaching experience under his belt. 

But the Lakers brass is reportedly confident that Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran who retired in 2021, could lead the team through the James-Anthony Davis era and beyond, per Charania. 

“There is an infatuation with JJ Redick right now, just in terms of ability for right now, but also being the coach that the Lakers can have for years and years to come,” Charania said. “That’s obviously someone who is young enough in the industry, young enough in the space where you feel like you have a four, five, six-year runway with a guy like JJ Redick.”

Redick was reportedly the first candidate to have a face-to-face meeting with the Lakers’ front office. 

Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that the franchise sees Redick as a “Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years.”

Ex-Hornets head coach James Borrego and Celtics assistant head coach Sam Cassell are also rumored to be candidates for the job. 

Despite their podcast partnership, LeBron James isn’t involved in the Lakers coaching search, Charania reported earlier this week. 

James is currently sitting on a $51 million player option with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season.