Lakers Legend Shaquille O'Neal Made His Opinion of JJ Redick Hire Extremely Clear

The Los Angeles Lakers have a new head coach in JJ Redick before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

This hire sparked mixed reactions around the NBA world. Some are excited to see what Redick can do as a first-time head coach. Others are seriously questioning his lack of coaching experience.

During the most recent episode of The Big Podcast , Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal weighed in with his thoughts on the hire.

"I'm happy for JJ. [It's] a lot of pressure. Winning games will not be good enough. Expectations when you take that job... is to win championships," Shaq said. "What kind of coach is he? I don't know."

"You have LeBron's respect. What about the other guys?" the legendary big man continued. "That's going to be the test... I don't think I could play for a guy I just played against 4-5 years ago."

Ultimately, Shaq is among those who are concerned about Redick's lack of experience. The Basketball Hall of Famer respects Redick as a former NBA player, but is understandably unsure about his coaching prowess.

"I like JJ. Respect him as a player," Shaq continued. "Don't know what he can do as a coach. We shall see."