(Photo credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers are extending the contract of second-year head coach JJ Redick, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said at a press conference on Thursday.

Redick signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Lakers in June 2024 that took him through the 2027-28 season. Terms of the new deal were not announced at the conference leading up to training camp.

'Confidence and belief,' Pelinka said on the reason for the extension. 'We think he's a special coach with a special voice who's really helping us define the culture of Lakers excellence. We just wanted to make a clear statement of this is what we believe, this is what we want to lean into. ... I think having long-term planning is helpful when building team moving forward.'

Redick, 41, made his head-coaching debut last season, leading the Lakers to a 50-32 record and the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Los Angeles lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first-round series.

Before he was a broadcaster-turned-coach, Redick played 15 years in the NBA, including his final season in 2020-21 with the Dallas Mavericks. He was teammates with Luka Doncic, the superstar guard who was traded to the Lakers last season and signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the team last month.

--Field Level Media