“I f–king hated Duke, but loved watching you,” is what LeBron James told JJ Redick on the second episode of their Mind the Game podcast. However, Maryland Terrapins fans would beg to differ. They hated both Duke and JJ Redick. And they made sure that he knew how much they hated him.

Apart from the fact that he’s white and went to Duke, a lot of the hate also stemmed from Redick raining a barrage of baskets against their own. In one such game in 2004 against the Terps, JJ Redick faced the wrath of the Maryland students once again when he was at the free-throw line. But if there’s anything that made them hate him more, it’s how gritty and tough he was.

Despite the “F— you, J.J” chants ringing through ESPN’s microphones, he stood there smiling as he drilled a buzzer-beater, connecting nine-of-nine from the foul line, leading his team to a 68-60 victory with a season-high 26 points. And LeBron, a self-proclaimed former Duke hater, did not miss a chance to tease him when a video from the aforementioned game resurfaced. James reposted the video on Instagram and wrote, “They really loved you,” followed by a series of laughing emojis.

While Redick handled all that heckling with grace, that is not to say it did not affect him. The mental toll became so overwhelming that he contemplated ending his basketball career altogether.

JJ Redick almost quit basketball

The Blue Devils are no stranger to being the target of opposing fans’ taunts. With JJ Redick entering Duke as a highly touted five-star recruit, ranked in the top five at his position nationwide, it was almost a given that he would face intense animosity from non-Duke college basketball fans. However, when the level of vitriol reached the point where fans were not just heckling him but also making unsavory comments about his minor siblings, Redick seriously considered cutting his career shot.

“I wanted to quit my Sophomore year. December of that year, I had my sisters meet me on campus, and they came over for dinner, and I was like ‘I don’t want to play anymore, this is not for me, it’s not fun.’ I really struggled those first two years — it was really hard for me,” said the Duke alum on ‘Pardon My Take.’

However, everything changed when Redick had a crucial meeting with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who told him, “We didn’t win a national championship because you weren’t worthy of being a champion.” That led to a complete transformation in his approach. Redick began seeking help from a therapist to cope with the mental challenges he was facing and got back in form.

This transformation was reflected in his performance, as he averaged at least 21.8 points during both his junior and senior seasons at Duke. Redick then went on to be selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic and enjoyed a sensational career lasting until 2021, when he announced his retirement. But it’s crazy to think that it almost did not happen.

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