JJ Redick takes shot at LeBron James, promises starters will not be all ‘white guys’ in odd presser

You can put a podcaster in the head coach’s chair, but you still end up with a podcaster.

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick proved as much during his annual news conference Thursday, giving answers better suited for the Twitter timeline than a head coach’s seat.

First, Redick offered a shady response about the team gelling after superstar LeBron James departed.

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He pointedly noted that this roster has a clearer identity than past squads led by James, his former podcast co-host.

“I think we’ve always tried to give our players clearly defined roles, and I think with this group, [it’s] probably the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together,” Redick said. “And so those roles probably get even more crystallized.”

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, right, talks to LeBron James during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Inglewood, California. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Since LeBron’s departure, a running joke has taken over Lakers fandom.

“Snowtime” has trended across social media as the tongue-in-cheek nickname for the Lakers’ projected core of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler — with nods to depth pieces like Dalton Knecht and Maxi Kleber.

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Because the team’s projected top talent isn’t Black, the online gag caught fire, and Redick awkwardly addressed it with a questionable remark about his starting unit.

Without much context, Redick said he was confident two positions in his lineup would “not be white.”

“I’m pretty confident in three of the spots,” Redick said. “The other two spots will not be two white guys.”

It was a sarcastic wink to the online crowd, and a cheap internet laugh at best.

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Redick now enters his third season at the helm in Los Angeles. His squad was swept in the Western Conference Semifinals by OKC last spring, following a first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves in his inaugural season.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic holds the ball during a timeout in the first half of Game 6 of the first-round NBA playoffs against the Houston Rockets in Houston on May 1, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP)

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts to his team losing the lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Matt Blewett/Imagn Images)

Before taking the bench, Redick spent 15 years as an NBA sharpshooter. In 2024, he teamed up with LeBron James to co-host “Mind the Game,” a wine-drinking, X’s-and-O’s basketball podcast.

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By July 2026, after two seasons together in LA, the dynamic completely shifted when LeBron packed his bags for Philly, leaving Redick to run the show solo.

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