Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick once butted again butted heads on First Take as Redick lamented that NBA fans "don't want to be educated." "I can do a video on my podcast where I break down the last nine games the Pelicans have used Zion Williamson as the primary ballhandler... 54,000 views on YouTube. But I wanna call out a coach yesterday. Oh, that gets tens of millions of engagements. That's the ecosystem we live in. So do fans actually want to be educated or not?" Redick ranted.
The argument stemmed from a debate about Kevin Durant voicing his frustrations that he didn't get credit as a team leader. While Redick believed the lack of credit was warranted, Smith vehemently disagreed, The spearhead of First Take got more and more heated, especially after Redick went after Mad Dog for weighing in. "That is a Hall of Famer, JJ. That is a Hall of Famer for media who has been covering sports for 40+ years that you are sitting across from," Smith fired back at Redick.
Austin Rivers Slams JJ Redick For Doc Rivers Criticism
Meanwhile, Austin Rivers joined Patrick Beverley in firing back at Redick for his recent comments about Doc Rivers. Rivers defended his father by taking aim at Redick's playing history. "In terms of accountability, your best years in the NBA were when you played for him and the Clippers. It's just very ironic and kinda weird that you have this energy towards him," Rivers said on ESPN. He was referring to Redick's 2013-17 stint on the Clippers under Doc.
The current debacle stems from Redick saying Doc had a "lack of accountability" after taking over the Bucks midseason. After their firing their first-year head coach despite a 33-13 record, the Bucks have now gone 3-7 to start Doc's tenure. Despite this, Doc coached the Eastern Conference All-Star team due to the Bucks record. To his credit, Doc did call this out and said he would be giving his All-Star ring and bonus to the recently fired Adrian Griffin.
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