Timberwolves coach Chris Finch poked some fun at Lakers coach JJ Redick on Wednesday night during a podcast appearance in Minneapolis.
On stage at First Avenue, Finch spoke with The Ringer’s Zach Lowe about the podcaster’s time between jobs after he was laid off by ESPN. Finch teased Lowe about being a podcaster and took an all-in-good-fun shot at JJ Redick along the way.
“I bet you three-quarters of these people [in attendance] are going to go home and do a podcast tonight,” Finch said. “It’ll qualify you to coach the Lakers.”
Wolves coach Chris Finch on podcasting:
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) November 14, 2025
“I mean, it’ll qualify you to coach the Lakers.”pic.twitter.com/xdbvMbMkUU
Of course, Finch was referring to Redick’s history as a podcast host, a résumé which includes theMind the Game podcast he hosted alongside LeBron James before he took the job in Los Angeles. It began on Mar. 19, 2024, just months before Redick was announced as the Lakers’ head coach.
Redick’s Lakers and Finch’s Timberwolves are two of the more prominent NBA programs to begin the first month of the 2025-26 season. Sitting next to each other as the current No. 5 and No. 6 seeds in the Western Conference with a combined record of 15-8, it’s only natural for the organizations to have a little rivalry.
Finch actually coached Redick in the 2019-20 season when they were both in New Orleans as members of the Pelicans organization. At the time, Finch was the associate head coach and Redick was a 26.4 minute-a-night guy for the team.
For Finch, the jab wasn’t much more than a wink at an old player and friend, and even more so, it was a reminder that the NBA has all the room for jokes.
If the early standings hold, he and Redick will have plenty more to laugh about later this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Timberwolves Coach Trolls Lakers’ JJ Redick With One-Liner During Podcast Appearance.
