Lakers’ JJ Redick Made Unexpected Admission to Former Teammate Blake Griffin

Redick was as candidate as ever with Griffin, making an admission that was surprising, to say the least.

Nov 9, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts on the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Lakers are riding high. The team sits with the best record in the Western Conference and in the league at 11-2.

Things couldn't be going better for the Lakers, aside from some injury scares they endured on Wednesday night against the Bucks. Nonetheless, Lakers stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves appear to be just fine and could play as soon as Sunday's contest against the Phoenix Suns.

Doncic and Reaves are the heads of the snake, but the brains of the operation is JJ Redick.

Redick is in his third season at the helm for Los Angeles. He's led them to back-to-back playoff appearances and 50+ wins. Many were skeptical about Redick's hiring in the summer of 2024; however, he's proven to be everything the Lakers hoped for and more.

It's been quite the journey for Redick. He retired from the NBA in 2021, and less than three years later, he landed the Lakers job, arguably the most coveted coaching job in sports.

JJ Redick Once Told Blake Griffin He Wouldn't Be Truly Happy Until Retirement

Redick played 15 NBA seasons. He was a teammate of some of the best players this league has ever seen, including Blake Griffin. Griffin recently shared a story about Redick that showed the former All-Star had surprising advice.

Griffin said that Redick once told him he wouldn't be happy until retirement.

“I remember I was playing golf with JJ Redick once before I retired," Griffin said. "This was before he took the job with the Lakers; he said something to me that stuck with me…

“I’m telling you, you won’t be truly happy until you retire.

“And he meant it from the point of we’re not miserable playing basketball, but because he and I played together for five years, we were so similar in the way we prepared and the way we worked and how much we cared about the game, that’s just all encompassing, obsessive thing.”

Blake Griffin says JJ Redick told him he wouldn’t be truly happy until he retired because their obsession with basketball made it hard to enjoy anything else

“I remember I was playing golf with JJ Redick once before I retired. This was before he took the job with the Lakers, he… pic.twitter.com/0GYfgbbKsr

— katsu (@katsuxbt) November 12, 2026

JJ Redick Has Built a New Career Since Retiring

Although Redick retired in 2021, he was as close to the game as one could be. Even before he retired, Redick focused on podcasting and breaking down basketball in a philosophical way, and even more so after he retired.

Redick joined ESPN as an analyst a few months after he retired and was soon on the broadcast, calling the NBA Finals alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke.

The 42-year-old initially signed a four-year deal and received a contract extension in Sept. 2025, keeping him in Los Angeles through the 2029-30 season.

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