LOS ANGELES — Yes, Baron Davis’ story is accurate: Lakers coach JJ Redick was watching film while getting his car washed Saturday afternoon ahead off the team’s home game against the Sacramento Kings later in the evening.
Davis, the Los Angeles native and former UCLA star who had a 12-year NBA career, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Just ran into [Redick] at the Car Wash. [He] had the Laptop watching film!!!! Players coach!!! Lakers in great hands !!”
But no, Redick doesn’t find himself in those circumstances, with the nature of the Lakers’ schedule – Saturday’s game was on the second night of a back-to-back – requiring Redick to have an unconventional film session coming off Friday’s comeback home win over the Phoenix Suns.
“I kind of spent [Friday] night and [Saturday] morning, there was a little bit of sort of tying the bow on [Friday] night’s game,” Redick explained during his pregame media session Saturday. “And a little bit of looking forward to [Saturday]. So after watching our offensive edit from [Friday] night, I started getting into the Sacramento defensive edit.”
But Redick wasn’t just on coaching duties Saturday afternoon.
He was also on father and family duties.
“And our cars have not been washed since we moved to L.A. in mid-August,” Redick added. “My kids had two basketball games and the car wash is next door to the gym. So in between games, I was just shuttling back and forth the three cars. A very efficient use of time to also just watch film on the laptop. I got everything done.”
Redick, a self-described basketball “sicko” who’s also known for being structured, assured this isn’t part of his normal routine.
“I mean … I watch a lot of film, but that’s not normal,” he said. “No, that’s not normal. Thanks, thanks, Baron.”
STAFF TALK
Lindsey Harding, the reigning G League Coach of the Year who joined Redick’s staff as an assistant coach, spent several years inside the Kings’ organization before making the move to L.A.
Harding was the head coach of the Stockton Kings, the Sacramento Kings’ G League affiliate, last season, leading Stockton to a G League-best 24-10 record during the regular season and was the first woman to win G League Coach of the Year.
She spent four seasons as an assistant coach/player development coach for the Kings before becoming Stockton’s head coach.
Kings coach Mike Brown offered insight into Harding, the 2007 Naismith College Player of the Year at Duke and No. 1 pick in the 2007 WNBA draft.
“First of all, fantastic human being, forget the player and the coach,” Brown said pregame. She’s just a great person to be around. On top of that very, very smart. Commands respect without walking around yelling or saying ‘look at me’ or ‘I can do this’ or anything like that. She just [commands] respect … and that’s due to how she is as a person.
“And then her knowledge too. So, it’s a tough loss for us, great gain for JJ.”
