“Do NBA fans want to be educated?” That was the question former NBA player JJ Redick’s posed to Stephen A. Smith and the general public on Wednesday.
In-depth analysis can be time consuming, painstaking and at times, downright exhausting. Redick insinuated the “ecosystem we live in” is one that prefers hot takes and flashy headlines and not one that encourages thorough and extensive analysis.
Redick was countering a point about NBA players having a duty to educate fans and made his views on the topic clear:
“It’s our job Stephen A is to educate people on basketball,” said Redick.
The popular analyst seemed to be taking a jab at sports fans as a whole during his recent appearance on First Take.
“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 ball handler… 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?”
JJ Redick questions why it's the responsibility of NBA players to educate fans and questions how much fans actually want to be educated in the first place.
"I can do a video on my podcast where I break down the last nine games the Pelicans have used Zion Williamson as the… pic.twitter.com/3zJqUdZ3T1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 21, 2024
Anyone who has followed Redick’s podcast knows that the 39-year-old breaks down the intricate nuances of the game and has a disciplined approach.
Over a 15-year career that saw him represent six different NBA franchises, Redick had a chance to play alongside some of the game’s elite players. He finished his career with 940 games under his belt, averaging 12.8 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds per game.
Over the last couple of days, JJ Redick has gone after veteran NBA coach Doc Rivers, questioned the conduct of players who are the face of the league and taken a shot at NBA fans. It may be time to make him a regular on ESPN’s First Take after some extremely unique and entertaining takes.
