JJ Redick, the coach of the Lakers, has refuted claims that he ever called a Black lady the N-word while attending Duke University.
Redick, a former NBA shooting guard without any prior coaching experience, was unveiled as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, according to CNN.
"At an introductory press conference, I stated that I have no coaching experience in the NBA, but I would contend that I have a great deal of experience, having played for Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) for four years while attending Duke and spending fifteen years as an NBA player 22 years ago."
Halleemah Nash remembered working with Duke's men's basketball team when Redick reportedly called her the N-word in a tweet she sent a day after the announcement.
"I've only ever heard a white man call me the N word in front of my face once, and that was on the Duke University campus when I was working with the basketball team," Nash wrote. And the Los Angeles Lakers announced him as their new head coach today. What a world.
"For context, this was years ago, and I think we all have room to grow—especially from our college-level maturity," she continued. These kinds of interactions take place in the reality we live in, and the presser was the result of the confluence of privilege, race, and lack of responsibility.
According to TMZ, Redick's team refuted the charge. A representative denied the incident to the media.
Meanwhile, Redick reportedly made a racist remark in 2018 when wishing his Chinese followers a happy new year, according to Complex.
There was conjecture following JJ Redick's appointment as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers over the possible influence of his close buddy LeBron James on the selection.
"He didn't provide any guidance.Redick told reporters on Monday, "LeBron and I did not talk about the Lakers job until Thursday afternoon, about 30 minutes after I was offered the job," which caused a sigh from the crowd. Since Redick and James co-host a podcast, it stands to reason that they discussed the coaching post before he was hired. However, sports fans aren't buying it.