Carmelo Anthony explains the beef between Kobe Bryant and JJ Redick.

In a segment on ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ NBA legend Carmelo Anthony explained why Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had a problem with JJ Redick back in the day. During their days on Team USA, Anthony says that Kobe lost it when head coach Mike Krzyzewski wouldn’t stop talking about Redick.

“I remember Kobe couldn’t stand JJ Redick. [Kobe] got tired of Coach K talking about JJ Redick. Kob took it very, very personally to the point where he was running through screens in practice, he was denying JJ the ball, fouling the sh*t out of him…

I’m like, ‘Damn why you treating the young boy like that?’ [He like], ‘Fu*k that motherfu*ker.’ Coach K keep talking about this motherf**ecker like he come here to do something. F**k this motherf**ker, I’m gonna show you today. [Kobe] didn’t let JJ Redick score in practice.”

Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran, was never on the same level as someone like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James but he filled his role to perfection and provided crucial spacing for several elite teams. In 2003, he was named to the USA Men’s Junior World Championship Team and he also competed with the USA Basketball Under-21 Team in 2005.

During his senior year at Duke, Redick was invited to join Team USA once again for team workouts and he continued that tradition for the first three years of his career. His time with Team USA helped him form a bond with coach K and it also brought him face-to-face with some of the world’s elite ballers.

Kobe Bryant was just one of many superstars that JJ crossed paths with but his experience with Bryant during that stretch is something that Redick will never forget. Besides invoking Kobe’s wrath by being mentioned so often by the coach, he impressed Bryant so much that he studied Redick’s shot up close and personal.

Bryant, a 5x champion for the Lakers, was known for being a killer on the court and a ruthless competitor. During his 20-year career, he averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 44.7% shooting. With a status as one of the greatest players ever, Kobe (a 1x MVP) was not easily impressed and he was always very demanding of his teammates.

So for Redick to get that kind of reaction from him was indicative of his advanced understanding of the sport. Even back then, fresh out of college, JJ was steps ahead of the field and it’s why he consistently got minutes on every team he was on until the end of his career.

Today, as the Lakers; newest coach, everything has come full circle. While Kobe Bryant is no longer around to give his take on things, he would surely approve of this latest hire given the impression he made as a young role player fresh out of college for Team USA.

Being a source of frustration for Kobe was like a badge of honor in the league and it was not a fluke considering he has earned the respect of countless other players, including LeBron James. Only time will tell how Redick translates his gifts to the coaching vector but he seems good enough to warrant this opportunity.

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