NBA viewership has been dropping for many reasons, and everyone—from former NBA stars to coaches and players—has been sharing their opinions. Coach JJ Redick recently spoke about the decline, but his comments didn’t sit well with former Lakers star Charles Barkley.
Barkley, who also criticized the Lakers’ rookie coach, got a sharp response from Redick before the Lakers’ game against the Atlanta Hawks.
On December 19, 2024, Redick expressed his frustration with the NBA’s declining TV ratings and constant negative talk about the league. He said the game needs more positive stories and celebrations.
Redick also hinted that some analysts’ constant criticism is hurting the league. Since Barkley is an analyst, he criticized the Lakers’ coach during Thursday’s “Inside the NBA” show. The next day, before the Lakers’ game against the Atlanta Hawks, Redick responded.
JJ Redick when asked about Charles Barkley’s criticism: “Literally don’t care” pic.twitter.com/z0dYSvru2p
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 4, 2025
The Lakers coach said, “I didn’t make it all the way through the clip, I got to be honest with you. My resting heart rate is probably 64 [beats per minute]. I watched the clip, it was 64. Literally don’t care. I have other thoughts, but don’t care.”
Skip Bayless goes hard on JJ Redick
Skip Bayless, a well-known NBA analyst, didn’t hold back when he criticized Lakers coach JJ Redick. After Redick complained about the negative media coverage of the NBA, Bayless called him out on social media.
Bayless accused Redick of avoiding blame and called him “weak” for talking about the media instead of focusing on improving the Lakers’ performance.
JJRedick’s Lakers, with 2 Top 10 players, have underachieved at 19-14, 6th in West, 9 games back of OKC. YET REDICK CRITICIZED GENERAL NBA MEDIA COVERAGE AS TOO NEGATIVE??? BLAME-DEFLECTING!!! “LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE.” WIN SOMETHING BEFORE YOU MOUNT YOUR SOAP BOX, JJ. WEAK.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 3, 2025
He tweeted, “REDICK CRITICIZED GENERAL NBA MEDIA COVERAGE AS TOO NEGATIVE??? BLAME-DEFLECTING!!! “LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE.” WIN SOMETHING BEFORE YOU MOUNT YOUR SOAP BOX, JJ. WEAK.”
