The NBA’s newest feud between TNT commentator Charles Barkley and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick appears to be a bit one-sided.
A day after Barkley unloaded on Redick for criticizing the negativity of NBA broadcasts, Redick responded by saying he didn’t bother watching the entire clip and does not care about what the NBA Hall of Famer has to say about him.
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Redick’s full answer:
“I got a random text from somebody after the game. I went to look at my phone and it says something about Charles Barkley. I’m like, ‘Huh?’ But [Lakers assistant coaches Greg St. Jean and Beau Levesque] showed me. I didn’t make it all the way through the clip, I gotta be honest with you. My resting heart rate is 64. I watched the clip, it was 64. Literally don’t care. I have other thoughts, but don’t care.”
Barkley received plenty of attention for a rant sparked by Redick last month saying, “If I’m a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch the product.”
In return, Barkley went in on Redick’s coaching philosophy, decision-making and job security, as well as the status of the Lakers organization:
“[Redick] said something about we’re the reason people ain’t watching this crappy product we got … yeah, us, like we’re out there jacking up 100 threes a night. JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss. Because I can get you, brother. Remember, I got your Lakers games. You can’t hide them flaws they got. You’re just a dead man walking. They got rid of Frank Vogel who did a good job, they got rid of Darvin Ham who did a good job. But you came out there thinking you were gonna change things with that same ugly girl you went on a date with.”
”[Redick] came in there thinking, ‘I can make this thing work.’ The hell you can! You can put some makeup on that pig! … The Lakers stink, man. Come on, man.”
JJ Redick does not care about Charles Barkley. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Barkley is no stranger to media feuds and strong language, while Redick is in his first season as Lakers head coach after three years in the media with ESPN. After a 119-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Los Angeles has won seven of its last nine after a disappointing stretch earlier this season. The team currently sits at 19-14, tied for fourth in the Western Conference.
Redick is something of a lightning rod for the Lakers’ longer-term concerns, both as a first-time professional coach (his only coaching experience consists of his son’s elementary school team) and his closeness with LeBron James (the two had a podcast together before Redick’s hire by the Lakers). As long as the Lakers are losing at least some of their games, he’s going to be an easy target for Barkley and many others.