New Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick already has his first taste of controversy less than a week into the job.
On Monday, Redick was officially introduced as the Lakers’ coach during a press conference. Redick addressed the media and dropped a few F-bombs along the way.
A day after Redick was introduced, a woman who went to Duke at the same time as Redick accused him of calling her the N-word while she was working with the basketball team. The woman named Halleemah Nash posted about the encounter on X.
“I’ve only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team. And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world,” wrote Nash.
I’ve only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team. And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.
— Halleemah Nash (@halleemah) June 25, 2024
The post has gone completely viral with over 15 million views as of writing.
TMZ Sports reached out to a representative of Redick for a response to the alleged incident. A spokesperson for Redick denied that the incident had occurred.
“No, it never happened,” Redick’s spokesperson told TMZ Sports.
Redick played four years at Duke from 2003-2006 and quickly built a reputation as the star player every non-Duke alum loved to hate. During his senior year, Redick averaged 26.8 points on 47.0% shooting from the field. He also sank 3.9 threes per game on a 42.1% clip from deep.
Redick finished his career as the all-time college leader in three-pointers made with 457 — a record that stood until 2019.
