LOS ANGELES — During the Lakers’ game on Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors, a fan caught a brief moment of hostility on the floor between superstar Luka Doncic and Coach JJ Redick from the stands.
Midway through the game – one the Lakers won in blowout fashion, 129-101, with the Slovenian star scoring a team-high 26 points – Redick removed Doncic from the game as the pair shared animated words with one another as he trotted back to the bench. Before taking a seat, Doncic turned back toward Redick as reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt stood up and clapped as if cheering on the Lakers to get in between his teammate and his coach. The clip turned viral on social media, gaining traction as fans speculated about the pair’s relationship.
Not to worry, Redick said Tuesday afternoon, the brief back and forth between him and his NBA MVP candidate was just two individuals deeply invested in winning.
“I didn’t think much of it at the time, to be honest with you, I don’t think Luka did either,” Redick said. “(Doncic) and I have a great relationship. I really value our relationship. And I think those things happen, you know, not every game, but they happen very frequently.”
“There’s two guys here who, in this case, are trying to win a basketball game and be on the same page about stuff,” he continued. “And frankly, like, you know, I talk about, like, player-led teams all the time. I encourage guys talking to me or talking to our coaches, bringing stuff up and telling us what they need. Just I don’t know why it went viral. It felt very normal to me.”
It felt so normal to Redick, and even Doncic, the Lakers coach said, that they were laughing about the moment after the short video turned into NBA discourse wildfire.
“I was like, ‘I didn’t feel any tension,’” Redick said of his conversation with Doncic.
Per Redick, Doncic responded: “Nah, I didn’t care about it.”
“You do it and you move on,” Redick said. “I think the reality is everybody is going to always have an opinion.”
Later during his pregame press conference on Tuesday evening, before the Lakers faced the New Orleans Pelicans, Redick was asked about the uniqueness of the Lakers’ brand when it comes to moments becoming viral moments. Simply, Redick admitted, the virality – and the attention that comes with it – is part of why he wanted to coach the Lakers in the first place.
Redick said it’s always been about projects that matter. Redick said he wanted to be a part of “something that means something.”
He referenced deciding to play at Duke under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. It’s why he tested free agency after an eight-year run with the Orlando Magic, capped by a first-round playoff exit with the Milwaukee Bucks, to play for Coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers. Every decision of his career, Redick said, stems from trying to compete in environments that hold lofty goals at their epicenter.
But the focus on every interaction or the words he utters, Redick said, is part of what makes the Lakers a special franchise.
“It’s definitely special to the Lakers,” he said. “There’s certainly other teams and other players, to be honest. We have LeBron James on our team, who’s probably the most scrutinized or one of the most scrutinized athletes of all time. When I made that comment, it was more just referencing my own personal psychosis.”
The outside noise goes with the territory, especially in this day and age, Redick reiterated.
“The reality is, everybody is going to always have an opinion,” he said. “Since pro sports have existed, everybody has always had an opinion. There’s been sports talk, there’s been barber shots, chat rooms. Everybody’s had an opinion. Now, everybody’s opinion is more easily accessible. It’s just more amplified now, but it’s normal.”