JJ Redick on the NBA All-Star Game Credit: JJ Redick on YouTube

JJ Redick hates hot takes and reactionary sports banter but continuously finds himself at the center of those discussions.

Redick joined Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub Wednesday afternoon, and it seemed like he quickly regretted agreeing to do the interview. After admitting he believes the Boston Celtics are the best team standing in the NBA Playoffs, Redick was asked to assess how they could lose.


“They would lose for a reason other than being the better team,” Felger said. “That happens, right? You get outworked or out-coached or…”

“I don’t think you get outworked at this stage of basketball,” Redick quickly responded. “That’s a very asinine way to talk about the NBA.”

Redick was not on camera for the interview, but it very much seemed like he rolled his eyes a few times at the questions from Felger and Mazz.

“He had a hair across his ass for us,” Felger later said of the interview. “Whether he’s gonna be a coach, so he’s being careful, or he’s now on the network, so he’s being careful, he didn’t want to answer any questions.”

The sports radio discourse, especially that in Boston, isn’t for everyone. And apparently, it’s not for JJ Redick. After listening to the segment, it seemed strange that Redick even agreed to do the interview with The Sports Hub, which is not an ESPN affiliate.

Redick attempted to bring a firmly unbiased and analytical viewpoint to the interview. That might be a wholesome initiative from an analyst who takes pride in attempting to slay hot takes, but it’s not what Boston sports radio is looking for. This isn’t his podcast with LeBron James; he’s talking to overreactive radio hosts who question whether a Celtics championship this season should be devalued because of their seemingly easy path to the Finals.

Redick entered the interview with a rather haughty attitude, very different from that of Jeff Van Gundy, who seemingly used to enjoy the overzealous and, at times, hyper nature of a sports radio discussion. As a former NBA player and looming head coach, Redick can do that. But as successful sports radio hosts, Felger and Mazz know their audience isn’t interested in coach speak. The more they pried for an opinion from Redick, the more he continued to dig his heels in on avoiding one.

[Felger & Mazz]

About Brandon Contes

Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com