Nobody Embraces Being The Villain Like JJ Redick
I have no idea why Josh Hart chose to tweet that earlier this morning. Very random, but also very relatable. Who didn't hate JJ Redick in college if you weren't a Duke fan? We all did. He's one of the all time great college basketball villains I think the combination of him being this white dude at Duke but then also being really fucking good, cocky, always talking shit created the perfect storm of hate
Advertisement
What I love about JJ Redick now is that he doesn't run away from it. He embraces being the villain back then. He's extremely self aware which is always refreshing to see. Shit, he even talked about this very exact subject about a month ago with Grayson Allen, who was basically the new version of Redick when it came to being hated
To me, the reason for their hate isn't exactly the same. People hated Redick because he destroyed their school and never missed. Allen was hated because he couldn't stop doing dirty shit on the floor. Little different.
And how about new coach Stan Van Gundy hopping into the replies!
team chemistry is already off to a fantastic start. SVG knows what he's doing. Redick is an important veteran on that team, the two have history going back to the Magic days, and having Redick on board is going to make the transition to SVG easier.
It is pretty crazy what a 180 JJ Redick has been able to accomplish at the NBA level. Does anyone hate him? I feel like he's never had to deal with that shit in the league. Would it be crazy to say he's now universally loved? Is that a little strong? I'd give anything to have JJ Redick on the Celtics roster right about now. You know the Sixers are regretting not bringing him back. At 35 he's showing no signs of slowing down either. He just put up 15 ppg on 45/45% splits this past season. I'd say his NBA career has lived up to the hype of his college career. For sure one of the best shooters of my generation.
Advertisement
The best part about that Josh Hart tweet has to be this part though
That just goes to show you, the JJ Redick hate did not have an age requirement. Everyone from children to college kids to washed up adults all hated that man. What a villain.