JJ Redick has seen his star rise very quickly in NBA media largely because he's been very forthright, particularly his ability to stand up against some of the biggest names in the business like Stephen A. Smith.
The 15-year NBA veteran showcased his candidness again when critiquing the sports media landscape.
NBA content was in full swing starting Oct. 2 when NBA teams were having their media day, and Redick took to X (formerly Twitter) on Oct. 4 to some of the content he was seeing circulate on social media.
"I grew up in the NBA. The teams I was on — we had plenty of motivational speakers. Some of them I really took a lot from & a few were impactful for our team. None of those talks were recorded and then posted to social media. What are we doing now? Is the locker room not sacred," Redick posted.
I grew up in the NBA. The teams I was on- we had plenty of motivational speakers. Some of them I really took a lot from & a few were impactful for our team. None of those talks were recorded and then posted to social media. What are we doing now? Is the locker room not sacred
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) October 5, 2023
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Many of the immediate replies were confused as to what Redick was referring to with his tweet, to which the ESPN analyst said that he would talk about it on his podcast, 'The Old Man and The Three.'
Social media quickly believed that Redick was referring to the viral video of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders giving a talk to the Philadelphia 76ers in which he also took a jab at the team's star Joel Embiid.
Deion Sanders met with the 76ers tonight
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 4, 2023
"A lot of folks duck that smoke, they wanna be Tarzan on paper. Don't sell me the game then when I turn on the TV I don't get that, If Embiid playing the Joker then I wanna see that. Nobody else guarding Joker I'll watch BET awards"
🔥 pic.twitter.com/DsQDAFfS96
Redick finally elaborated on his tweet on Oct. 9 on his podcast.
He first clarified that he has no issues with Sanders, even stating that he "loves" what the former NFL star is doing in college football. But he said that there is a difference between college and professional sports because in college, they are selling and recruiting.
"He is trying to build the profile of Colorado football. It's a totally different thing [from professional sports,]" Redick said. "You think about the change in the landscape of how college programs approach social media: They are selling. It is a recruiting tool."
But Redick thinks it shouldn't necessarily be the case for professional leagues like the NBA, pointing out not only the Sanders speech, but other "content" such as Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown dribbling a basketball.
"I get it we want content, I make content, I'm in this, I know." Redick said. "Some things don't need to be posted. Some things, there doesn't need to be a camera on."
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Redick expounded by saying that there's value in "intimacy" in order to build strong teams in the NBA. But he questions whether the new content machine is going to make that more difficult.
"Can you build intimacy if there's always a camera on?" Redick said.
He even pointed out that he gets a lot of compliments for being "real and authentic," but admitted that he's still not his truest self on air.
"I give you 90%," Redick said. "There's not a person in the world that gives 100% when the camera is on. So how are you building intimacy if everything has to be recorded?"
He recognized that teams have digital media staffers and that docuseries like 'Hard Knocks' and 'Drive to Survive' have been extremely successful at satisfying the public's thirst for sports content. But he's worried that there's a "slippery slope" that will disrupt the intimacy that can take place for pro sports franchises to find success.
"In professional sports, it has to be about the players and the bond they have with each other and with their staff. And I don't know if you can fully do that if there's a camera on at all times," Redick said.
“In professional sports, it has to be about the players and the bond they have with each other and with their staff. And I don’t know if you can fully do that if there’s a camera on at all times.” —@jj_redick pic.twitter.com/MJpvXZ0CfN
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) October 9, 2023
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