Did Kobe Bryant have a problem with new Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick?
A rather curious story from the past has surfaced and while it has no bearing on the present, the feelings of the franchise legend will raise eyebrows.
From the reported “genuine disappointment” about the failure to sign UConn’s coach to the apparent friction that existed between the legendary Kobe Bryant and the man the franchise actually hired, it would be fair to say that JJ Redick’s tenure in LA has got off to an awkward start.
A bit of context about JJ Redick
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced the hiring of JJ Redick as their new head coach. The former Philadelphia 76ers player who currently works as a TV analyst and cohosts a podcast with LeBron James, put pen to paper on a a four-year contract that will see him earn more than $8 million per season. Redick’s appointment was met with mixed reactions. For context, the 39-year-old was heavily linked with the job initially before the focus switched to UConn head coach Dan Hurley, only to have the Huskies coach reject a reported six-year, $70 million offer. At that point, the Lakers returned to Redick and here we are.
OK, so what happened with Kobe Bryant
We’ve got to go back almost two decades, but it’s worth hearing. Speaking on “7PM in Brooklyn” this week, former Lakers guard Carmelo Anthony shared a story in which he disclosed that Bryant “couldn’t stand” JJ Redick. According to Anthony, it was during Team USA tryouts for the 2008 Olympics. At the time Mike Krzyzewski who was also Duke head coach - a legend - was named Team USA head coach and having had experience with Reidck, a former Blue Devil, promoted his game. This, after all, was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and the 2006 National Player of the Year at that time. Bryant, however, saw things differently.
“I remember Kobe couldn’t stand JJ Redick,” explained Anthony, who retired with the Lakers in 2023. It’s worth noting that while Anthony did not specify a date, the time at which both Bryant and Redick would have been in camp aligns with the Beijing Olympics held in the summer of 2008. Again, where context is concerned, Bryant would have already won three NBA championships after more than a decade in the NBA, while Redick would have been in his second season in the league with the Orlando Magic who drafted him 11th overall. “He got tired of Coach K talking about JJ Redick,” Anthony said. “Kob took it very, very personal. To the point where he was running through screens in practice. He was denying JJ the ball. Fouling the s**t out of JJ. I’m like, why are you treating the young boy like that? ...This Motherf****r ain’t let JJ Redick score in practice,” he added.
Interestingly, back in April during an interview with Dan Le Batard, Redick explained that it was in fact Bryant who helped to inspire what is today the “Mind The Game” podcast that he cohosts with Lakers star LeBron James. Interesting indeed. Where history is concerned, Redick never did manage to secure a spot on the 2008 Team USA Olympics roster, while Bryant did - he was captain - and as we know, led the team to a gold medal. Just four years later, he would do the same again at the 2012 London Games. At the end of the day, the friction between Bryant and Redick has no effect on what the Lakers’ new coach is about to face, but it’s interesting to note that elements within the franchise both past and present weren’t and aren’t pleased with him.