By Dave McMenamin

Copyright espn

Pelinka said the decision came down to “confidence and belief” in the former 15-year NBA veteran, who joined the Lakers without previous head coaching experience.

“We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us define the culture of Lakers excellence,” Pelinka said. “We just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team and go forward.”

Redick expressed gratitude to Pelinka, Lakers acting governor Jeanie Buss and new Lakers owner Mark Walter for the opportunity.

“It’s not lost on me, this sort of rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension,” Redick said Thursday. “I recognize how fortunate I am to be in an organization that supports me in that way.”

Redick spoke about connecting with James and Doncic during the summer and expressed confidence in both coming into the season.

“[James is] in a great spot mentally and know he’s going to give us his absolute best,” Redick said. “… I expect the best version of Luka, and it’s my job as a coach to bring that out on a daily basis.”

Redick offered less clarity on the players who will surround the star tandem, with no announcement about the rest of his starters the way he did a year ago.

“It’s not that important to me,” Redick said when asked about the starters. “I haven’t spent a ton of time thinking about it. We certainly have a number of players — seven or eight starter-level players in the NBA. I do know this: I did say that last year. And that starting lineup started eight games together to start the season, and we started 24 lineups throughout the year.

“Not going to spend too much time banging my head against the wall on that before we have a practice.”