Carmelo Anthony describes the feud between Kobe Bryant and JJ Redick.
NBA icon Carmelo Anthony gave an explanation for why former Lakers star Kobe Bryant had a falling out with JJ Redick during an appearance on “7PM in Brooklyn.” Anthony claims that when head coach Mike Krzyzewski wouldn’t stop talking about Redick during their time on Team USA, Kobe lost it.NBA legend Carmelo Anthony clarified why former Lakers star Kobe Bryant had a falling out with JJ Redick during an appearance on “7PM in Brooklyn.” Anthony claims that when head coach Mike Krzyzewski wouldn’t stop talking about Redick during their time on Team USA, Kobe lost it.
“I recall that Kobe detested JJ Redick. [Kobe] grew weary of Coach K always bringing up JJ Redick. Kob took it so personally that at practice, he was blocking JJ from getting the ball and fouling the living daylights out of him. “Damn, why are you treating the little boy like that?” is how I feel. [He said], ‘Fu*k that motherfu*ker.’ Coach K is always bringing up this motherfucker, as if he came here to accomplish something. I’m going to show you today, so f**k this motherfucker. In practice, [Kobe] prevented JJ Redick from scoring.”
Although Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran, was never as good as players like LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, he was a master at his position and gave multiple elite teams the vital spacing they needed. He participated with the USA Basketball Under-21 Team in 2005 after being selected to the USA Men’s Junior World Championship Team in 2003. Redick was asked to re-join Team USA for team workouts during his final year at Duke, and he followed through on that tradition throughout the first three years of his professional career. He grew close to coach K throughout his time with Team USA and had the opportunity to interact with some of the best ballers in the world.
As a five-time champion for the Lakers, Bryant was renowned for his brutal competition and lethal shooting skills. He averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 44.7% shooting per game throughout the course of his 20-year career. As one of the all-time greats, Kobe (a two-time MVP) was never easily won over and was always quite particular about his teammates.
Thus, Redick’s ability to elicit such a response from him demonstrated his sophisticated knowledge of the game. JJ was always a step ahead of the field, even in his early college years, which is why he was always given minutes on every team he played for until the end of his career. Everything has completed the circle for the Lakers’ newest coach as of right now. Even though Kobe Bryant is no longer with us to offer his opinions, based on his impressions as a young role player for Team USA just out of college, he would undoubtedly be pleased with this most recent hire.
Given that he had gained the respect of numerous other players, notably LeBron James, being a cause of frustration for Kobe was like a medal of honor in the NBA. It remains to be seen how Redick utilizes his skills as a coach, but he looks talented enough to deserve this chance.
