TITLE: JJ Redick Congratulates Dodgers on World Series Repeat, Recalls His Own Baseball Roots
SLUG: jj-redick-congratulates-dodgers-world-series-repeat-baseball-roots
CONTENT:
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he quickly reached out to majority owner Mark Walter after the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the 2025 World Series, becoming Major League Baseball’s first back-to-back champions in 25 years.
“We spoke the other day, just sent him a note with the official congrats,” Redick told reporters on Nov. 2, ahead of the Lakers’ matchup with the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena. Walter attended the game fresh off the Dodgers’ seven-game triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Admiration for Baseball and the Dodgers
Redick, a longtime baseball fan, said the sport was his “first love” growing up. He called baseball “an individual sport masquerading as a team sport,” contrasting it with the NBA, where stars such as LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can influence every possession. He cited former Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey’s comparison of modern basketball to Barry Bonds getting to “pick the pitcher” every at-bat.
The former NBA sharpshooter became a Dodgers fan during his LA Clippers tenure. Watching Game 7 with family and friends, he said the room erupted when Miguel “Miggy” Vargas homered, leaving manager Dave Roberts “in disbelief.” Redick added that championship traits he saw in the Dodgers mirror those of the Golden State Warriors during their NBA title runs.
Little League Dominance
Redick also described his own pitching exploits. In three years of Little League, he lost only one game, striking out 17 of 18 batters in that defeat. In another tournament, he threw eight innings after an overnight drive from a Nationals event, fanning 13 in a 3-2 win before being “shelled” when asked to pitch again the next day. He likened that experience to Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s relief appearance in Game 7.
While Redick briefly contemplated a baseball future, the 39-year-old ultimately chose basketball—a decision now placing him in charge of delivering the Lakers’ next championship.
Source: LakersNation.com
