Weeks of speculation officially came to an end Monday when the Los Angeles Lakers held a news conference to introduce new head coach JJ Redick.
Redick, who was seen as the frontrunner for the job from roughly the beginning of the search except for a late-stage pursuit of UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley, had a lot to say in the press conference.
Particularly, Redick had a strong message regarding various misconceptions people may have of him, his lack of coaching experience, and his proximity to Lakers forward LeBron James, who he has hosted the Mind the Game podcast with since March.
JJ Redick was asked what misconceptions about himself he's looking forward to dispelling as the Lakers head coach:
"It's a valid question and I've certainly heard everything. It's been a really interesting six weeks or so just in terms of being part of the engagement farming… pic.twitter.com/PZkXJb3Qo9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 24, 2024
“It’s a valid question and I’ve certainly heard everything. It has been a really interesting six weeks or so just in terms of being part of the engagement farming industry,” Redick said when asked about misconceptions that have been made about him since the coaching search began.
“It’s been really interesting. However, I really don’t have a great answer for your question because I really don’t give a fuck, honestly. I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don’t want to dispel anything. I want to become a great coach in the NBA and I want to win championships and I want my players to maximize their careers. That’s what I fucking care about,” He added.
While Redick’s lack of NBA coaching experience is certainly worth addressing, it also makes sense why the new head coach isn’t interested in discussing it further.
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