Halleemah Nash, a Duke University alum, recently claimed on social media that she was called a racial slur by new Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick.
I’ve only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team. And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.
— Halleemah Nash (@halleemah) June 25, 2024
It’s certainly a serious accusation against Redick, who played a long career in the NBA with the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks.
Redick was officially introduced as the head coach of the Lakers on Monday after a long process where the franchise pursued University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley for the position as well.
OFFICIAL: JJ Redick, Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers. pic.twitter.com/uDKV6sJIct
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 24, 2024
Hurley turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from Los Angeles. That opened the door for Redick to become the franchise’s next head coach after he spent his post-playing career broadcasting for ESPN and hosting multiple podcasts (Old Man and the Three and Mind the Game).
BREAKING: Dan Hurley has rejected the Lakers offer and will stay at UConn, @wojespn reports
The search continues. pic.twitter.com/k22KKRrxbp
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) June 10, 2024
One of the greatest players in Duke history, Redick played for the school from the 2002-03 season through the 2005-06 season. He has a ton of accolades from his time at Duke, being named All-ACC four times, an All-American twice and a Wooden Award winner once.
Redick averaged 19.9 points per game while shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc during his time with the Blue Devils.
Nash did not specify as to when she and Redick overlapped at Duke. According to her bio on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), she is a Lakers fan.
There has not been a response from Redick – as of this writing – to the allegation against him.
The new Lakers head coach is currently focused on his first season as an NBA head coach after not having any coaching experience at the professional level. While Redick does have ample experience as a player, he will now have to learn how to run a team, establish a culture and make adjustments in games and between games in the 2024-25 season.
The Lakers gave Redick a four-year deal this offseason after moving on from Darvin Ham. Ham coached the Lakers for two seasons, leading them to two playoff appearances and one Western Conference Finals appearance.
