It must feel surreal to sit on the opposite bench from a team you once idolized, maybe even had posters of on your bedroom wall, and came close to joining, forging connections with the organization and its owners. Then, out of nowhere, the ‘LeGM’ activates, snatching the opportunity away and handing it to another promising candidate. If any of that hits home, you get James Borrego, now the interim coach for the 15th-seeded Pelicans. 

Ahead of the Lakers-Pelicans matchup, Borrego opened up about the opportunity he had last summer to join the Lakers as head coach before JJ Redick landed the role. “I grew up a Laker fan, number one, so to come here and interview for the job was like so surreal and a dream, you know,” Borrego said.

“My interaction with Rob [Pelinka] was great, I didn’t know, but just to sit there and talk basketball life with him, find common ground together, was great. We sat, I think at least two days together, spent some time together. Jeanie as well. She was phenomenal.”

Last summer, Borrego was in the mix for the Lakers’ head coaching job, competing with Redick for the top spot. At the time, many viewed him as a rising name in the league, thanks to his coaching journey.

And that’s why he went in for the interview, although he didn’t land the job; he holds no regrets. “I enjoyed learning about them, getting to know both of them on a personal level. I was grateful for that opportunity, just to be here, to be in the process—in any interview process I’ve been a part of,” Borrego said.

Borrego began his NBA journey in 2003, honing his skills under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs until 2010. He later had stints with the New Orleans Hornets and the Orlando Magic before landing his first head coaching job with the Charlotte Hornets in 2018. 

Over four seasons in Charlotte, Borrego guided the team to 138 wins, with two seasons showing a 10-win improvement from the previous year, before joining Willie Green’s staff in New Orleans to help reshape the Pelicans’ offense.

So last summer, he caught the Lakers’ eye when their head coaching job opened after Darvin Ham was let go. He became one of the top finalists, giving two interviews and even being regarded as a favorite of Anthony Davis, who briefly overlapped with him in New Orleans.

But in hindsight, leaning on Davis to push for Borrego seems almost moot, especially considering Davis himself was traded to Dallas later last season.

But in the end, someone else held the real sway over the Lakers’ front office: LeBron James, who helped steer them toward Redick as the future of the team.

Why the Lakers bet on JJ Redick

Last year, the Lakers made a bold move that raised plenty of eyebrows: they handed the head coaching job to JJ Redick, a man with zero prior professional coaching experience.

But Redick had spent 15 years on the court as a player and built a reputation as one of the smartest basketball minds off it, thanks to his podcasts like The Old Man and the Three and Mind the Game, as well as his work as an analyst for ESPN, and the obvious connection with LeBron. 

Rumors quickly swirled that LeBron himself had pushed for Redick, leveraging their podcast friendship to influence the Lakers’ front office. However, those claims were officially shot down by LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul. “LeBron is not involved… This is a Lakers decision,” Paul told. 

He added, “JJ is a friend. We respect JJ. I know LeBron and JJ have the podcast… But just because they have a podcast—the Lakers have to make a decision for now and later. And whatever that decision is, that’ll be an organizational decision. It’s as simple as that.”

The real reason behind the hire came from Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who wanted to shake things up after a stagnant stretch under Darvin Ham. “We wanted to kind of think a different way,” Buss explained during a local radio appearance last year.

And that seemed to help because the “Pat Riley-like” potential in Redick delivered last season. The Lakers finished with a 50–32 record, securing the third seed in the Western Conference, marking only the second 50-win season for the franchise in 14 years.