It’s been four days, and the Los Angeles Lakers have played two games in between, yet the viral courtside interaction between JJ Redick and Luka Doncic remains a talking point. The head coach had already clarified his stance in the press conference, though he never revealed what was really said in the heated conversation. But something was said that got on the Slovenian superstar’s nerves, and that’s why teammate Jarred Vanderbilt stepped in to cool things down.

During Saturday’s clash against the Golden State Warriors, Doncic had another defensive lapse, which Redick did not like. The head coach apparently told LeBron James to check in for Luka, who wanted to finish the quarter with only 56 seconds left. But JJ thought otherwise. Thus began the chain of events that sparked controversy.

When Bron checked in, he noticed something off with his teammate. Even a pat on the chest did not change the mood as Luka Doncic tried to avoid any interaction with his head coach on the sidelines. Legendz, a professional lip reader on social media, broke down the incident further.

After waving him off for a second time, JJ told Luka, “What’s your problem? You pushed my hand away? What are you upset about?”

Luka was on the bench and replied, “I didnt”.

A frustrated Redick stated, “Sit the f— down”.

Which Doncic took offence to and was ready to confront his head coach. “What? Yo!”

Then Vanderbilt tried to lighten the mood and physically held Doncic back and pulled him to the bench. “Come on, sit back down.” The entire incident lasted less than 40 seconds, but was enough to grab the headlines, with fans and analysts having their opinions.

Was it a competitive disagreement or a warning sign? This question had everyone divided. Some were quick to pin the blame on the second-year coach, while some thought Doncic’s complaining nature shouldn’t have existed in the first place. But the insiders and the head coach put the rumors to rest with defintive statement.

JJ Redick hailed Luka Doncic as the Lakers rose from the slump

First, it was ESPN’s NBA insider Dave McMenamin who shared how the league sources didn’t view it as a problem. “A league source said when he saw the video, ‘LA is different, the smallest thing becomes the biggest thing.’” According to McMenamin, though, rumors of a rift are overblown, and their relationship prior to their Purple and Gold days is a testament to that.

Before the game against the Warriors, the Lakers had been struggling. The team had lost three straight and five of its last seven games. Naturally, the frustrations were visible as the team needed to win. Which they did. Then the head coach, JJ Redick, also called things being overblown. ​”I didn’t think much of it at the time to be honest with you. I don’t think Luka did either,” Redick told reporters.

“He and I have a great relationship. I really value our relationship… those things happen, you know, not every game, but they happen very frequently.” JJ Redick emphasized that in a high-stakes environment where two individuals are simply “trying to win a basketball game,” vocal disagreements are often a prerequisite for getting on the same page.

Since the Warriors game, the Lakers have won two more. Clearly, there is no rift between the star player and the head coach.