Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick made headlines on Wednesday, just hours before Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During a pregame press conference, Redick was asked about his reliance on assistants for late-game substitutions.
Redick, in his first season as an NBA head coach, snapped, “Are you saying that because I’m inexperienced and that was an inexperienced decision that I made? You think I don’t talk to my assistants about substitutions every single timeout?”
To which the reporter responded, “No, I just think a lot of coaches lean on their assistants in those situations.”
Redick immediately fired back with, “As do I, every single time. That’s a weird assumption, ” before storming out of the room. storms out of the press conference.
JJ Redick STORMED OUT of his press conference after he was asked if he will lean on his assistants when it comes to fourth quarter substitutions tonight. pic.twitter.com/xDSMBxhFTL
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 1, 2025
Fans online immediately took notice.
One user sarcastically said, “I don’t think he liked that question,” which was met with another fan commenting, “Seems like someone is a bit defensive/insecure lol.”
Another fan said, “That was a silly question. Storming out though… Show some restraing JJ,” a sentiment shared by many, including one user who remarked, “The arrogance of JJ is hilarious.”
Another user commented, “This is giving wolves in 5 energy.”
However, one commenter took a different approach, saying, “Why is everyone making a huge deal out of that? None of the bench was making shots so he kept in the players that were 
it’s not that deep.”
This incident comes with the Lakers facing elimination down 3–1 in the series.
The Lakers (50–32) have relied heavily on LeBron James (26.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5.5 apg) and Luka Dončić (30.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.0 apg) in their resurgence under Redick.
Unfortunately, uneven bench play and late-game miscues have them on the brink of elimination.
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