The emotions ran high as JJ Redick became the centre of a recent off-court NBA drama. His comments on Doc Rivers made the headlines for controversial reasons prompting an acrimonious exchange with Patrick Beverley. Following this eventful week since his appearance on ESPN’s First Take, the 39-year-old cleared the air in the recent episode of The Old Man & The Three.
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Reflecting on his recent remarks, the Tennasse-born exclaimed,
“Number one, I rewatched particularly the clip from Tuesday. Don’t regret what I said…I do regret the delivery. I think sometimes when you get in certain environments, you can get emotional and I regret that. Number two, the thing I said yesterday about Kevin Durant, it’s not his job to educate fans…that wasn’t a complaint…the NBA is entertainment”.
.@jj_redick addresses his recent comments about Doc Rivers and the response from Patrick Beverley.
Full mailbag episode with @talter drops tomorrow: https://t.co/iHrjL5ytfD pic.twitter.com/B5BxEN3Xgu
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) February 22, 2024
The initial part of his justification re-addressed his comments towards his former head coach Rivers. Expanding on the 62-year-old’s attitude to “make excuses”, the sports analyst highlighted his intention of always shifting the blame on the team. Redick further called out the 2008 championship-winning head coach, putting into the limelight his alleged lack of accountability.
Either the ESPN screaming matches have finally infected JJ or there’s A LOT to unpack here about Doc pic.twitter.com/xKr0WBE6LW
— Lucas Burns (@nba_indepth) February 20, 2024
Soon after that, Pat Bev entered the fray as the Milwaukee Bucks star defended his head coach while disrespecting the 6ft 4″ analyst. The 35-year-old indicated how Rivers had “saved” the latter’s career, sparking yet another series of controversy. The disagreement reached a new high as the point guard called out the former player in the latest episode of Pat Bev Pod.
Beverley shed light on the 2015 Western Conference semi-finals between his Houston Rockets and Redick’s Los Angeles Clippers. Highlighting the 3-1 comeback of his roster, the Chicago-born mentioned, “Should he be accountable and be like, ‘Let me get JJ Redick off James Harden’. If I’m being honest, should’ve started Jamal Crawford”.
Patrick Beverley fires back at JJ Redick and says he got torched by James Harden when the Clippers lost a 3-1 lead to the Rockets.
“If I’m being honest, should’ve started Jamal Crawford”
( @PatBevPod )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 21, 2024
This recent disrespect caught the eyes of the former shooting guard as he expressed his stance on X (formerly Twitter). While mocking the Bucks guard, the 2006 draft pick attempted to debunk the myth with assistance from analytics. “I guess that’s getting torched?” he wrote to question the truth behind Beverley’s remarks.
Luckily the cameras in the arena have better eyes than you.
289 halfcourt matchups
21-56 shooting by Harden as contesting defender
37.5% FG (42.9% eFG)
0.94 points per direct iso allowed on 37 isolationsI guess that’s getting torched??? https://t.co/JoyzNy5WOP
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) February 21, 2024
Alongside this, the second part of Redick’s recent comments from his show targeted the entertainment-driven viewers of the NBA. His groundbreaking remarks on whether the majority of the fans wanted to be educated raised several eyebrows. Yet, the analyst stood firm on his stance, showcasing no sign of regret over his belief.
JJ Redick questions why it’s the responsibility of NBA players to educate fans and questions how much fans actually want to be educated in the first place.
“I can do a video on my podcast where I break down the last nine games the Pelicans have used Zion Williamson as the… pic.twitter.com/3zJqUdZ3T1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 21, 2024
The entire occasion showcased how inherent dramas in the league develop over time. A controversy emerging from credibility eventually raised question marks over all facets of the modern NBA. Hence, it highlighted the permeating intrigue of the entities in the recent phase of the game.