A couple weeks ago, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about the state of the NBA today as there has been a lot of criticism over the on-court product. Redick pushed back against many of the critiques, expressing his belief that teams are not all doing the same things along with the idea that the increase in 3-pointers is ruining the game.
Redick also called out the media as a whole for the constant criticisms, especially as it pertains to dwindling ratings. The Lakers coach feels that if fans are constantly hearing on TV that the NBA sucks right now, they’ll believe it too and stop watching. That didn’t sit well with Hall of Famer and Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley.
Barkley has long been one of the most outspoken people in the media, never being afraid to say what he feels. He responded to Redick’s comments, mainly by saying that the Lakers are bad and aren’t fun to watch under Redick while adding that it will only be a matter of time before he is fired like the coaches who came before him:
Charles Barkley just eviscerated JJ Redick on national tv pic.twitter.com/fjja7HLtw5
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 3, 2025
It was pretty much a given that someone on TV would respond to Redick’s comments, but Barkley really oversimplified what the Lakers spoke about and didn’t really counter anything he said. Redick spoke on many things including the overall talent of the league being greater now, the increase in points in the paint coinciding with more 3-point attempts, and the fact that there is more parity in the league now.
Redick even included himself amongst those in the media, having spent the prior couple years at ESPN as an analyst and commentator and simply called for some things about the league to be celebrated that deserve to be. Barkley going off on Redick the way he did will make for good and entertaining TV, but in actuality he said very little to diminish the points the Lakers coach made.
JJ Redick reveals his New Years resolution for Lakers
There is little chance JJ Redick will even put much focus towards the shots that Charles Barkley took at him as he is far more focused on improving this Lakers team. With 2025 now here, the Lakers coach revealed his New Years resolution for this team.
“I think we’ve been trending in that direction with the addition of Dorian (Finney-Smith), in particular, but I’d like us to be a more physical team,” Redick said before the team’s first game of 2025.
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