JJ Redick has always had a way of cutting through the noise, whether it’s breaking down film or dissecting the complex ecosystem that is Los Angeles sports. Ahead of Los Angeles’ matchup with Miami, he added another one to the list. What started as a reaction to the Dodgers’ World Series win quickly turned into a time capsule of his Clippers days, complete with a story that perfectly captures LA’s bizarre hierarchy of sports loyalty.

Redick revealed that during his Clippers tenure, he became a Dodgers fan… sort of. When asked if he wanted to be shown on the Jumbotron, he didn’t hesitate. “Hell no, I’m on the Clippers. I’m gonna get booed,” Redick laughed. It wasn’t bitterness, just reality. In Los Angeles, the Lakers and Dodgers rule the empire. The Clippers? They’re still paying rent, so to speak.

That moment shared ahead of tip-off wasn’t just for laughs. Redick, now the Lakers’ head coach, spoke about Mark Walter, the new owner of both the Lakers and the Dodgers, and what it means to see him raise another trophy. “Yeah, I spoke the other day, just sent him a note. In the official congrats, and I think he has a real desire to learn about this. He’s obviously a very intelligent man, but it’s two different sports, and how you build teams are different,” Redick said.

For context, Walter has now overseen three Dodgers World Series titles in five years (2020, 2024, and 2025), and his acquisition of the Lakers and Sparks arguably made him the most powerful sports figure in LA. Redick, to his credit, didn’t just praise Walter’s acumen.

“I played baseball growing up, it was my first love. And baseball is an individual sport, masquerading as a team sport. It’s a different thing,” he said, before quoting Daryl Morey.

“The NBA now is the equivalent of the Giants when Barry Bonds was in his prime—basically getting to bat every single time, and not only that, getting to pick the pitcher who pitches to him every single time. That’s what the NBA is. Baseball is different, you gotta wait your turn.”

He broke down the difference between the Dodgers’ marathon-style roster building and the NBA’s sprint toward star power.

You could almost hear the subtext of how he views constructing a Lakers team in an era where stars like LeBron James (still sidelined with a sciatica injury) and Luka Doncic tilt the league on their own.

And speaking of Luka, Redick name-dropped him and Austin Reaves while illustrating how NBA superstars dominate play in a way baseball never allows.

How JJ Redick went from Clippers’ star to Lakers’ sidelines

“And the impact of star players, a guy like Luka, a guy like LeBron, a guy like AR, it’s just different than any other sport.” Redick has long admired how players like Doncic dictate pace, or how Reaves crafts his role around the edges of superstardom, something JJ himself once mastered with the Clippers.

Back in 2013, Redick arrived in LA as part of a three-team deal involving Milwaukee and Phoenix, signing a four-year, $27 million contract.

His role was simple but crucial: spacing the floor for Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Over his NBA career as a player, he averaged 12.8 points while shooting 44.7% from deep.

A decade later, he’s not hitting threes anymore, but his mind for basketball remains a weapon. Under his guidance, the Lakers are off to a 4–2 start despite injuries to LeBron James and others.

That calm is also reflected in how Redick handles the LA spotlight. When he joked about being booed at a Dodgers game, it wasn’t insecurity.

It was insight. He knows this city runs on allegiances, purple and gold, blue and white, and he’s comfortable navigating both worlds.

Maybe that’s why his admiration of Walter felt so genuine. Redick understands patience and timing, even if the NBA rarely allows any of it.

Baseball might be about waiting your turn, but for Redick, the turn has come again. Only this time, it’s not about knocking down shots from the corner. It’s about building something that lasts long enough to earn a parade of its own.