The Los Angeles Lakers finally unveiled JJ Redick as the franchise’s new head coach on Monday. After a lengthy search to find Darvin Ham’s replacement that generally had him pegged as a favorite — save for a detour in which the team unsuccessfully tried to convince Dan Hurley to leave UConn to take over in L.A. that did get addressed — Redick finally met with the media and discussed his appointment as the team’s head coach.
Unsurprisingly, a big aspect of his conversation with the press was how Redick has never coached before, outside of his sons’ youth teams. Redick, to his credit, did have some fun at his own expense with this.
JJ Redick in his introductory press conference:
“I have never coached in the NBA before. I don't know if you guys have heard that. … The expectation is a championship. … That’s what I signed up for.”
(via @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/t2dNNLFOwB
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 24, 2024
A little later in the press conference, though, Redick was asked about “misconceptions or concerns” that he heard about himself amid this hiring process, and specifically which ones he wants to dispel. In response, Redick gave a rather blunt answer about how he heard what people had to say, but ultimately, his focus is elsewhere.
i asked @jj_redick what misconceptions about him he’s most looking to disproving. his answer had a lot of confidence and a lot of 4 letter words pic.twitter.com/79eBdNnsXi
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) June 24, 2024
“It’s a valid question, and I’ve certainly heard everything — it’s been a really interesting six weeks or so, just in terms of being part of the engagement farming industry, it’s been really interesting,” Redick said. “However, I don’t really have a great answer for your question because I really don’t give a f*ck. Like, honestly. I want to coach the Lakers, I want to coach the team, I don’t want to dispel anything, I don’t. I wanna become a great coach in the NBA, and I wanna win championships, and I want my players to maximize their careers. That’s all I f*cking care about.”