LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Tuesday that a brief, heated exchange with star guard Luka Doncic during Saturday’s win at Golden State was “very normal” and did not reflect any deeper rift between the two.
“I don’t know why it went viral,” Redick told reporters before the Lakers hosted the New Orleans Pelicans. “It felt very normal to me.”
The incident occurred in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 129-101 victory over the Warriors. After Redick substituted Doncic out of the game, the coach reached for a fist bump that the player ignored while taking a seat. Redick followed Doncic along the sideline, the two exchanged words, and forward Jarred Vanderbilt stepped between them as tempers flared.
Redick said such moments happen “very frequently” in a competitive environment. “He and I have a great relationship. Sometimes you have to rehash things with a player, sometimes it’s player to player. It’s competition,” he said.
Los Angeles entered the Golden State matchup on a three-game skid, including last-second losses to Orlando and Phoenix. A Lakers official dismissed the sideline dust-up as standard frustration for a star during a losing stretch. A source close to Doncic echoed that view, calling the pair “fiercely competitive” and “always pushing each other.”
Doncic finished the Warriors game with 26 points and eight assists, then followed with 28 points and nine assists in Monday’s 128-104 win over Sacramento.
Redick added that public reaction is simply part of coaching in a high-profile market. “Everybody’s opinion is more amplified now, but it’s normal,” he said, noting that he and Doncic laughed about the situation afterward.
Source: ESPN
