Lakers' JJ Redick Jokingly Calls Out Will Hardy Before His First Game Against Jazz

JJ Redick laughed as he called out Utah coach Will Hardy before their NBA Cup matchup on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Redick cheers on his team. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

JJ Redick wants to take it to Will Hardy and the Utah Jazz.

The first-year Lakers coach gets up for any game, of course, but he appeared to have some extra juice for L.A.'s NBA Cup matchup against Utah and Hardy, specifically.

Before Tuesday's game, Redick was asked about the Lakers' first home NBA Cup game of the season, but he took the opportunity to jokingly call out Hardy.

"The court's very bright," Redick said to reporters about the Lakers' yellow court adorned at Crypto.com Arena for the NBA Cup. "Staples or Crypto is always bright but the yellow court makes it worse. But I'm focusing on the regular season and just getting wins. Obviously, we all want to participate in the knockout stage of the cup.

"For me, I'm excited because this is my first time coaching against Will Hardy. So, I want to beat his a--."

JJ Redick on the Lakers’ NBA Cup court: “The court is very bright. Staples or Crypto is always bright but the yellow court makes it worse.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/rQRvYnHH0E

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 20, 2024

Mic drop.

Redick laughed as he was off to finish preparations for Hardy and the Jazz. The Lakers are 1-0 so far in NBA Cup play and 10-3 on the season. Hardy's Jazz are looking for their first Cup win, sitting at 0-1, while they're 3-10 in the regular season.

Redick, 40, and Hardy, 36, are two of the youngest head coaches in the NBA. We'll see who gets the first of many battles between the two innovative basketball minds.

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