It may not be news anymore, but JJ Redick’s appointment as the Lakers head coach is still a heated subject. Many, including Shaquille O’Neal, wonder if the roster will even respect him as a leader, considering he has no coaching experience. However, Stephen A. Smith has come swooping in to rescue the rookie head coach and called out the former Lakers center for his take.
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O’Neal had claimed that LeBron James would likely respect Redick as a head coach due to their pre-existing relationship. However, he wasn’t sure whether the rest of the team would take him seriously. On an episode of The Big Podcast, he said,
“You have LeBron’s respect, what about the other guys? That’s going to be the test. I don’t think I could play for a guy who I just played against four or five years ago.”
Smith addressed this statement on The Stephen A. Smith Show and downplayed O’Neal’s concerns. He also criticized the four-time NBA champion and claimed that the players would listen to Redick and respect his authority out of professionalism. The analyst said,
“Stop lying! Because if they was paying you, and you knew the check was in the mail, you’d play. Stop that, big boy. You know I know better than that.”
Smith then went on to laud Redick. While he did admit that he is a bit suspicious about how he got the Lakers job, he was clear that his basketball acumen was not to be questioned. He said,
“JJ Redick is one of the great great players that ever played in college basketball. He’s also a 15-year NBA veteran. And although, I lament how he got the Lakers job, because clearly that’s something LeBron James manipulated, to his liking, if you know anything about JJ Redick, this brother knows basketball. He knows basketball!”
However, the veteran analyst claimed that the former Clippers guard being picked as the Lakers’ new head coach merely months after he started a podcast with James reeked of nepotism. Smith opined,
“I just don’t like how LeBron did it [got JJ the job]. You could have waited till the season was over to start the damn podcast with him, or get him the job with the Lakers, as opposed to doing it in the middle of the damn season, when you knew that Darvin Ham was on the hot seat. I think that’s BS. And I called it.”
The four-time NBA champion as well as the rookie head coach have vehemently denied that their relationship played a role in the Lakers’ decision. Regardless, Redick now has the keys to the castle and has to make it work. If he doesn’t, O’Neal would have no qualms in reminding the world that he was right about the players not respecting their coach.
