On Wednesday, retired NBA star JJ Redick went on a rant about basketball fans and analysts indulging in drama rather than learning the sport’s nuances. It kicked off on Tuesday’s episode of First Take with the former Philadelphia 76ers guard calling out Doc Rivers for his lack of accountability after the Milwaukee Bucks head coach blamed the players for their embarrassing loss to the injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies. Redick’s takedown of Rivers went viral and became the talk of the town.
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On Wednesday, Redick returned to First Take to rant about how his comments about Rivers went viral and analysts would rather talk about that than the sport itself. Redick claimed his time as an analyst would be better served if he spoke about the Pelicans’ improvement as a team over their last ten games with forward Zion Williamson as the primary ball-handler but won’t do it because an analytical video like that won’t garner views. However, it was different when he called out Rivers. He said,
“I wanna call out a coach yesterday. Oh, that gets tens of millions of engagements. That’s the ecosystem we live in. So do fans actually want to be educated or not?”
Redick also called out basketball analysts, claiming they cater to the fans’ needs for drama by making controversial statements rather than educating them about the sport.
Redick’s statement has some weight as in recent times shows like First Take and Undisputed fuel the discourse around players and their personal lives rather than breaking down the X’s and O’s of basketball.
Analysts like Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless sometimes make outlandish remarks about teams and superstars rather than indulging in the sport’s nuances to go viral on social media. It’s a views-based economy; as Redick explained, drama beats analysis.
NBA players have complained about fans crossing the line
Fanaticism in sports is toxic, and fans sometimes cross the line in their treatment of players. In 2021, Russell Westbrook was walking back to the locker room after he suffered an injury, and one fan showered him with popcorn as he was making his way off the court. An incensed Westbrook had to be held back by team officials as he wanted to attack the fan.
In the aftermath, Westbrook did not mince words, saying,
“This s*** is getting out of hand. In any other setting, I know for a fact that fans … wouldn’t come up, a guy wouldn’t come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head. Because we’d know what happen.”
Westbrook is correct. Fans wouldn’t be as brave as they are from the stands if players didn’t have to show restraint. Heckling and trash-talking are part of sports, but taking it too far should result in punishment.
Players like LeBron James have had fans thrown out of the game for indecent behavior. The NBA gives its players the benefit of the doubt when it comes to complaints about fans, which is the correct approach.
