In his introductory press conference with the Lakers, JJ Redick started off with a bang by firing back at those concerned with the Lakers hiring him.
Well, JJ Redick sure started off with a bang.
Redick was formally introduced as head coach of the Lakers on Monday at a press conference with vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka. The two fielded a number of the expected questions about his lack of coaching experience, how much LeBron James was involved and whether Redick was going to continue podcasting.
The best quote of the day, though, came at the end of the presser. Asked if there were any misconceptions or concerns he was most looking forward to dispelling now that he is head coach, Redick dropped this banger of a response.
JJ Redick on if he wants to dispel any misconceptions about him: “I really don’t give a fuck.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) June 24, 2024
JJ Redick on if he wants to prove any misconceptions wrong. : “I really don’t give a f—.” He then explained it’s more about trying to be a good NBA head coach and help the Lakers win pic.twitter.com/zfRfmEAwIt
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) June 24, 2024
What a way to immediately win over a fan base. Easily the best part of the video above is Pelinka’s face after Reddick drops a second F-bomb to close out his answer.
Redick made note that he heard everything that was said about him over the last six weeks and while it was a valid question, he didn’t care about any of those concerns voiced. Instead, he was focused on coaching the Lakers and not worried about dispelling narratives, opting to focus on his team and the players on his roster.
Bravo, man. Well done. You couldn’t have drawn up a better soundbite to come out of this presser.
Redick was great in the presser, as was to be expected. The concerns about his lack of experience as a coach are valid, but everyone pretty much expected him to win the press conference as his charisma and communication were going to shine through.
But it’s a strong start to his tenure. There’s only so much you were ever going to learn about a coach in his intro presser. Some coaches talk to us about wisdoms and lessons during their pressers. Others talk about not giving a f--- about people concerned with him coaching the Lakers.
It’s certainly a much different approach to a press conference than his predecessor’s, but one Lakers fans will almost certainly embrace. And if others around the league don’t embrace it, then I can imagine what JJ Redick’s response to that will be, too.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
