Almost a year ago, JJ Redick, in his first season as a coach, discussed a golf game with Joe Mazzulla that would’ve completely altered the trajectories of the Lakers and Celtics. Tonight, the two friends were on opposite sides. The Celtics beat the undermanned Lakers 126-105. Yet after the game, there was nothing but mutual respect between the two rival head coaches.

Both Mazzulla and Redick confirmed that Joe wanted the former NBA player-turned-sportscaster to join Boston’s coaching staff. The NBA community has always wondered how deep this unexpected friendship goes. After Mazzulla beat him tonight, Redick gave a little more insight into their relationship.

“We do talk,” Redick said in the post-game presser. When asked if he and Mazzulla have kept in touch during their coaching stints. “I don’t know if I’ve ever asked Joe for stuff since I got this job, but he was very helpful when I was doing media.”

By Redick’s account, he and Mazzulla became friends during his career as a podcaster and ESPN analyst. Mazzulla was not a head coach when he appeared on Redick’s podcast years earlier.

JJ had built a very big network in the NBA business through his parallel job in fact and that made the coaching job at the Lakers much more accessible. It brought him close to more than one coaching job.

The weekend after Mazzulla was hired as the head coach of the Celtics during the 2022-23 season, he and Redick were playing golf. Mazzulla made a very serious offer to the former Clippers star to join his staff.

That would’ve been a very normal rise from the ranks trajectory if Redick had taken it. It was also the first time Redick had seriously considered a career in coaching.

“It was those early stages of really knowing that I wanted to coach, but not sure what the timing would look like. We stayed in touch,” Redick revealed in January when the Lakers played against the Celtics.

Mazzulla ultimately didn’t hire Redick because of his lack of coaching experience. A fact that didn’t seem to deter the Lakers, who hired him after firing Darvin Ham.

Even though Mazzulla retracted his offer, he still holds Redick’s IQ in high regard.

Joe Mazzulla has drawn a line in friendship with JJ Redick

At tonight’s presser, JJ Redick had a very interesting flex. He claims he’s one of only two coaches in the league that Mazzulla will talk to.

The same Joe Mazzulla who shuns friendships with rival coaches. In 2023, the then-new Celtics head coach claimed he didn’t want to give other coaches a competitive edge by becoming friends with them. “As far as having an off-court relationship with a coach, I don’t [care]. That’s the last on the list,” he had said two years ago.

Tonight he was asked if he talks about ideas, philosophies or strategies with Redick. Mazzulla maintained his stance, “You get a lot of that through film.” He prefers to study other coaches, including Redick, through film rather than direct conversations.

Redick also confirmed that he has not spoken to Mazzulla during his coaching career. But Mazzulla counts him as one of the “ton of smart people in the league” to learn from.

It’s interesting to see this friendship silently thrive despite the competitive edge. Typical of the ancient Celtics-Lakers rivalry.