Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick addressed a recent sideline moment involving him and superstar Luka Doncic, which appeared to be a heated exchange that went viral online.
Cameras captured LeBron James checking into the game for the Lakers, as Doncic departed for the bench. As Luka was trying to walk towards the end of the bench, past Redick, the coach tried to grab his arm to talk to him.
Luka kept walking, seeming as if he was shrugging off his coach’s comments. Redick followed him and continued to talk to him when Luka took his seat on the Lakers’ bench.
Once Redick was finished with the conversation, he turned his back to walk back to his spot on the sideline near the other end of the bench. However, Luka, seemingly frustrated, stood up and was about to go over to Redick, until several nearby players helped diffuse the situation.
Read more:Luka Doncic and Lakers Coach JJ Redick Go Viral in Heated Sideline Exchange
That incident occurred during the Lakers’ Feb. 28 game against the Golden State Warriors. However, ahead of a more recent Lakers game, Redick shared his thoughts on that viral moment between him and Luka.
“I didn’t think much of it at the time, to be honest with you. I don’t think Luka did either,” Redick said, downplaying it as anything serious.
Redick also indicated that he and Luka have a “great relationship,” which he values, noting that while those sorts of moments don’t happen in every game, they happen “very frequently.”
"It's a competition, and there's two guys, who in this case, are trying to win a basketball game," Redick explained, adding they were "trying to be on the same page" with aspects of the game.
The Lakers coach said he encourages players to go to coaches to address things they see or need as part of the team.
“I don’t know why it went viral. It felt very normal to me,” Redick told reporters.
It’s unclear what Luka was planning to do when he started to move in Redick’s direction after the head coach walked away on the sideline. However, at least one player tried to grab at Luka’s arm. Another stood up and began dancing to some music playing in the arena, blocking Luka’s path before putting a hand on chest.
If Luka’s unhappy, that could be an issue, but based on Redick’s remarks, things are fine between them, and it was a “very normal” exchange. With that, the Lakers have won three games in a row after initially struggling out of the NBA All-Star break.
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