'I already died': JJ Redick not bothered by Charles Barkley — or anyone

Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA writer

JJ Reddick often thinks about a quote from an HBO miniseries about World War II that aired in 2001.

“There’s a scene in ‘Band of Brothers’ where they’re in the trenches and one of the soldiers, who’s really scared, asks the other guy, ‘How are you able to get out and fight?’ You don’t seem scared,'” Redick recalled. “And he says, ‘That’s because I’m already dead.’

Redick adopted that philosophy when he took the helm Lakers June without coaching experience. It was a coping mechanism for the harsh reality that the NBA coaching position has become a lightning rod for blame and a revolving door.

“When I took this job, I was already dead,” he said. “So I’m well aware of this profession, but it’s not even on my radar.” I’m already dead.”

During LeBron JamesSeven seasons with the Lakers, head coaches Frank Vogel and Darwin Ham have been hired and fired. Vogel led the Lakers to their first championship in 10 years in 2020 and was fired in 2022; Hamm helped the Lakers reach the conference finals in 2023 and was fired in May.

Redick went into this situation with his eyes wide open.

So far this season, the Lakers have had some wild swings. After winning their first three games, followed by a six-game winning streak in November, Redick was widely hailed as the antidote to the Lakers’ woes over the past few seasons.

They then went through a stretch where they lost eight of 11 games, falling to 10th place in the West from late November to early December. They are now on the rise again and are currently in fourth place after winning eight of their last 11 contests.

When they were losing, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas called out the irony of Hamm being the scapegoat for the Lakers’ woes while Redick somehow remained unscathed.

“Hey, tell Ham to come back, man,” Arenas joked on his podcast, “Gil’s Arena.” “…We need somebody to blame. I just want to be like, ‘It’s the coach’s fault. It’s the coach’s fault.'”

Heck, even in the midst of their current winning streak, TNT analyst Charles Barkley interrupted highlights of the Boston Celtics’ 118-115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday to confront Redick on an episode of “Inside the NBA.”

“You’re just a dead man walking,” Barkley said. “They got rid of Frank Vogel, who did a good job. They got rid of Darwin Hamm, who did a good job. But you went out thinking you were going to change things with that same ugly girl you went on a date with. The Lakers stink.

“He went in there thinking, ‘I can make this thing work.’ Hell you can! You can put makeup on that pig! The Lakers stink, man. Come on, man.”

Barkley’s rant was fueled by comments Redick made last month when asked about his thoughts on the decline in TV ratings and whether he thought the 3-point shot was contributing to it.

As part of his long and detailed response, Redick mentioned that he didn’t think the “national partners” did a good job “celebrating the game,” something Barkley clearly took personally even though he wasn’t directly mentioned.

As for Redick, he claimed he was confused by Barkley’s words.

“I didn’t make it all the way, I’ve got to be honest with you,” Redick said Friday before the Lakers hosted the Atlanta Hawks. “My resting heart rate is probably 64. I watched the video, it was 64. I literally don’t care. I have other thoughts. But I don’t care.’

But being in a so-called feud with Barkley is never a good thing for someone who holds one of the 30 safest positions in the NBA.

In 2023, six coaches were fired, including Doc Rivers, Monty Williams, Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Stephen Silas and Dwayne Casey. Just last week, the Sacramento Kings stunned the NBA world by firing Mike Brown, the unanimous 2023 coach of the year.

Of course, outside opinions, such as Barkley’s, hold little value in terms of Redick’s job security. But then again, the national conversation is reverberating and Barkley’s voice certainly carries a lot of weight.

Barkley added that his focus is now on Redick.

JJ, come get the king, you better not miss,” Barkley said. “Because I can get you, bro. Remember, I got your Lakers games.”

Through it all, Redick tried to ignore the noise.

Redick opened the season with a unanimous miracle. He was so unknown. We knew he was a 3-point specialist from watching him play. And we knew he was a basketball savant because we heard him talk about the game as an ESPN analyst. But a rookie coaching one of the league’s premier franchises?

This will go well. Or very bad.

James and Davis opened the season singing his praises, praising him for being so prepared and his vision so well-articulated.

And it looks like they still feel that way.

After Redick challenged Davis to “win the MVP,” he responded by being at the top of that conversation early in the season. And on Friday, when asked about the Lakers’ improved offense, James attributed it to readiness, which Redick apparently took as advice. “We all kind of know where we’re supposed to be,” James said.

But Redick knows the season is long and there will be tougher parts to come.

The good news for Redick, which could help him stay impervious to outside noise, is that he seems to be his own biggest critic.

While he claimed his resting heart rate remained unchanged while watching Barkley’s rant, that’s clearly not the case when the Lakers lose. It is incredibly animated during games. And broken when things don’t go according to plan.

He even admitted that he literally goes to a dark place (his basement) after games and pours on film.

So while Arenas pointed out what he saw as a double standard, and Barkley fully agreeing with Redick, may show that Redick’s days as the league’s bright-eyed, shaggy-tailed, clipboard-wielding golden child may be over, he is apparently willing to take the heat.

“I signed up for the hard stuff,” he said. “I didn’t sign up for the easy stuff. I enjoy solving problems.”

This much is clear: many eyes are on him. He’s in LA. His grace period is coming to an end.

Good for him, now the Lakers are shining.

But if that changes, his detractors will come for him, whether he plays dead or not.

Melissa Rollins is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, The Bay Area News Group and Saint Anthony Ekspres-Novosti. Follow her on Twitter @bi melissarohl.

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