Former ESPN NBA broadcaster JJ Redick was officially announced as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in an introductory press conference on Monday. But just one day later, a Duke alumni made a shocking allegation about the former NBA veteran that dates back to his collegiate playing days.
In a now-viral tweet with nearly 20 million views on X, formerly known on Twitter, Halleemah Nash, an author, speaker, and Duke alumni accused Redick of calling her a racial slur when he was at Duke.
“I’ve only been called the N-word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team,” wrote Nash on X. “And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.”
I’ve only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team. And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.
— Halleemah Nash (@halleemah) June 25, 2024
TMZ reached out to Redick’s camp on the matter, who denied this ever happened as Nash claims.
“No, it never happened,” a spokesperson representing Redick told TMZ.
Redick has of course been in the public eye for quite some time. Not only throughout his 15-year NBA career but also in his media career afterward both at ESPN and in his podcast with Lakers star LeBron James. So if more information emerges about this potentially being true, it would obviously be incredibly damaging to his reputation and potentially his looming coaching career in the NBA.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.