When the UConn coach turned down a $70-million job offer to come to L.A., it might have been humiliating for the storied franchise but it ignited a rebirth.

Redick, who scored more than 12,000 points in his 15 seasons as a player but had never coached above the youth basketball level before, appreciates the daily challenges this job presents.

First-year Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick seemed to channel the ghost of fallen L.A. legend Kobe Bryant after a postgame presser on Friday night. Although he had helped the Lakers clinch the Western Conference's No.