Former NBA three-point wizard JJ Redick went viral after calling out his old coach Doc Rivers and he responded with a rant that is sure to go viral, again.
Appearing on an episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Redick lamented the fact that the majority of his NBA analysis goes unnoticed while the first clip of him calling out a coach goes mega-viral.
“Here’s the reality. This is the ecosystem we live in,” Redick complained. “I can do a video on my podcast, I can do a video on my podcast where I break down the last nine games the Pelicans have used Zion Williamson as the primary ball handler and what type of actions that has led to. I looked it up this morning, 54,000 views on YouTube. But, I wanna call out a coach yesterday, ohhh. That gets tens of millions of views. So do fans actually want to be educated or not? Do they?”
JJ Redick questions why it’s the responsibility of NBA players to educate fans and questions how much fans actually want to be educated in the first place.
“I can do a video on my podcast where I break down the last nine games the Pelicans have used Zion Williamson as the… pic.twitter.com/3zJqUdZ3T1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 21, 2024
I think Redick is making a fantastic point here and it’s one I grapple with myself as a sports writer.
A quick recap of how we got here first, though. Redick went viral Tuesday after saying his former coach Doc Rivers never takes any accountability. Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverly, who now plays for Doc in Milwaukee, added fuel to the fire when he replied on Twitter, telling Redick that Rivers “saved your career.”
The beef helped escalate an already hot take into the stratosphere of virality. It also brought all the morons out of the woodwork to comment on Redick’s outburst.
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright weighed in to say he doesn’t understand Redick’s misgivings over the hot take culture in sports media. (RELATED: ‘Bunch Of Homeless Crooks’: NBA Hall Of Famer Charles Barkley Shreds Rapidly Declining Democrat-Run City)
“I will *never* understand someone who is incredibly wealthy, opts into working in the space, and then simply uses the platform to complain about how useless/dumb the space is,” Wright tweeted.
I totally understand folks who aren’t into televised sports discussion/debate. It’s not for everyone!
I will *never* understand someone who is incredibly wealthy, opts into working in the space, and then simply uses the platform to complain about how useless/dumb the space is.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) February 21, 2024
Right off the bat, to insinuate Redick is “simply” using the platform to complain is ignorant and wrong. As Redick alluded to in his rant, he pores over game film and releases highly detailed analytical breakdowns on a regular basis.
As a matter of fact, this most recent rant was a rare exception to Redick’s normally smooth and calm examinations. And it was clearly born out of a personal passion, as Redick’s Rivers frustrations are likely linked to his repeated playoff failures as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers under Doc.
Redick’s rant gets to the heart of a legitimate issue in sports media and the wider media beyond that. Sensationalism sells. Giving the people what they want means giving them Smackdown vs. Raw. It’s showing them the insider drama and letting it play out on a world stage for all to see. The statistical breakdown of a guy’s jump shot from the elbow vs his percentage from the key is great … for the 250 people interested in that. But the masses want blood and vigor. It seems like JJ is ready to give it to them.