JJ Redick’s Jaw-Dropping Post-Game Confession: “I Made a Huge Mistake Playing LeBron James in His Worst Condition” – Shocking Revelation After Lakers’ Humiliating Suns Loss
In a bombshell moment that’s sending shockwaves through the NBA universe, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick unleashed a raw, unfiltered admission just minutes after his team’s crushing 125-108 defeat to the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena.
With the Lakers’ scorching seven-game winning streak reduced to ashes, Redick didn’t mince words in the post-game presser, owning up to every tactical blunder and dropping a revelation that left reporters, fans, and even his star player stunned: “I really made a mistake by letting him on the court in his worst condition.” The “him”? None other than Lakers legend LeBron James, whose labored performance amid a nagging left foot injury became the scapegoat for LA’s unraveling—and the internet’s hottest debate.
The stage was set for what should have been a triumphant bounce-back. The Lakers (15-5) entered as Pacific Division overlords, fresh off a gritty 133-121 win over the Pelicans where Luka Dončić erupted for 34 points and Austin Reaves dropped 33.
But whispers of caution swirled around LeBron James, the 40-year-old icon who’s been battling back from a season-long sciatica saga that sidelined him for the preseason and the first 14 games.
Returning like a phoenix on November 23 against the Jazz, James had been a force—averaging 25.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.1 assists over his last five outings—but the left foot flare-up forced him out of Sunday’s win for “injury management.” Redick’s plan? Ease the King back in against a Suns squad (13-9) limping without Devin Booker, who exited early with a groin strain.
Tip-off at 10 p.m. ET promised fireworks, streamed exclusively on Peacock to a sold-out crowd of 18,997 purple-and-gold faithful. The first quarter was a deadlock at 31-31, with Dončić’s silky 18-footers matching Dillon Brooks’ relentless drives.
LeBron, logging his first back-to-back minutes since the Olympics, looked tentative from the jump—limping subtly on drives, hesitating on screens, and posting just 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting. “You could see it in his eyes,” one Lakers insider whispered to reporters. “He was grinding through pain, but that fire? Dimmed.”
Phoenix pounced. Brooks, the trash-talking thorn in LA’s side from their 2023 playoff wars, channeled pure venom—erupting for 33 points on 15-of-26 shooting, including 15 in the second quarter alone where he hit 10 straight shots.
Backup guard Collin Gillespie, in a career-night explosion, torched the nets for 28 points and eight threes, feasting on LA’s defensive lapses. The Suns ballooned a 35-21 second-quarter edge, turning a tie into a 66-52 halftime rout.
By the third, Phoenix led by 19; Dončić sat the fourth with the game a foregone conclusion, finishing with 38 points but nine turnovers that fueled 32 Suns fast-break points.
Enter the post-game inferno. Redick, the rookie coach thrust into the spotlight after a podcast-fueled hiring, faced a swarm of mics in a locker room reeking of defeat. Teammates slouched in silence—Reaves (18 points, 4-of-12) staring at the floor, Dončić slamming his box score in disgust.
Redick, usually the analytical podcaster-turned-mentor, cracked open like never before. “Look, this one’s on me. All of it,” he began, voice steady but eyes blazing. “We talked pre-game: Play hard, match their physicality, or get exposed. We didn’t. Twenty-two turnovers? That’s not us.
It’s like the Monstars from Space Jam stole our souls—guys jogging back in transition, brain fog on rotations. But the real gut-punch? I made a huge mistake by letting LeBron on the court in his worst condition.”
The room froze. Cameras clicked furiously as Redick named the untouchable: LeBron James. “He’s our king, our everything. But tonight, that left foot was betraying him—every cut, every rebound, you saw the wince. I pushed him out there thinking his presence would spark us, but it backfired.
He gutted out 10 points, 6 boards, 4 assists in 28 minutes, kept his double-digit streak alive at 1,298 games. Historic. But at what cost? I robbed him of rest, disrupted our flow. That’s on me, not him.
LeBron’s fighting through hell to give us this shot at glory, and I repaid him by ignoring the tape.”
James, lingering in the tunnel, overheard the exchange. Sources say he nodded solemnly, fist-bumping Redick with a whispered, “We learn, coach. Next.” But the damage was done—social media erupted. #RedickVsLeBron trended worldwide within minutes, amassing 500,000 tweets. “Coach throwing Bron under the bus? Bold or boneheaded?” one fan raged.
Another: “Finally, accountability! LeBron’s human at 40—protect the GOAT!” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith lit up First Take: “JJ’s got guts calling out The Chosen One publicly. But is this the fracture that sinks LA’s title dreams?”
This isn’t just coach-speak; it’s a seismic shift in Lakers lore. James, entering Year 23, has been a model of resilience—Olympic gold in Paris, averaging 27.1 points lifetime—but the toll shows.
His sciatica return was triumphant, but the foot issue, a recurring nemesis, sapped his explosiveness: zero dunks, labored post-ups, and visible frustration after a botched alley-oop.
Redick’s mea culpa echoes past Lakers turmoil—think Phil Jackson’s triangle clashes or Vogel’s benchings—but with a twist: unbridled honesty from a first-year skipper mentored by Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
Zooming out, the loss exposes deeper cracks. Phoenix, despite Booker’s early exit, showcased Mike Budenholzer’s blueprint: 57% field goal clip, 44% from deep, and suffocating transition D that turned LA’s miscues into daggers. Brooks’ 33? A reminder of his 2023 Finals taunts.
Gillespie? The unsung hero, his eight triples exploiting gaps Redick called “unforgivable.” For the Lakers, it’s a wake-up: Dončić’s vision (11 assists) can’t mask sloppiness, and Reaves’ off-night underscores depth woes with Marcus Smart out (back spasms).
As LA licks wounds ahead of Thursday’s Raptors tilt, Redick’s vow rings clear: “Film session tomorrow—we rebuild from this rubble.” James, ever the alpha, posted an Instagram story: “Pain today, power tomorrow. #StriveForGreatness.” But the real shock? Redick’s direct call-out, a gamble that could galvanize or grenade the locker room.
In a league of egos and echoes, has JJ just lit the fuse on LeBron’s final chapter—or forged unbreakable trust?
This Suns stunner isn’t just a loss; it’s a manifesto. The Lakers, 15-5 no more, stare down a gauntlet: Toronto, Boston, Philly. Will Redick’s brutal truth propel a dynasty dash, or fracture the fragile? One thing’s certain: NBA Twitter won’t sleep.
The King’s court just got a lot more crowded—and controversial.
