The social media sphere was shaken this week by the incendiary comments unleashed by ESPN NBA contributor JJ Redick against perennial choking Bucks coach Doc Rivers and the general NBA fandom. JJ first angrily called out Rivers for never taking accountability for his failures. This stemmed from Rivers’ comments during the All-Star Break regarding how he had told Kawhi Leonard that trading Shai-Gilgeous Alexander would mean trading a superstar, how he had the foresight to know that James Harden would be a great Clipper, and how taking the Bucks coaching job mid-season was an uncomfortable experience. A few segments later, JJ then called out the NBA fanbase for not wanting real basketball analysis, settling instead for debate-style and unintelligible nonsense based on drama rather than tactic.
Regarding Rivers’ comments, Patrick Beverley responded on X and exclaimed that Rivers had actually saved JJ’s career by starting him when no one wanted him. Austin Rivers, the son of Rivers, responded live on ESPN by stating that JJ’s best years were during his Clippers tenure when Rivers was coach, and that Rivers always took responsibility by being fired. JJ eventually responded to Patrick Beverley by claiming he had a significant long-term deal with another team lined up, while also apologizing for the tone in which he had delivered his criticism. For those in the know, the criticism was greatly warranted and had been obvious for the past few seasons. However, JJ is a bit of a hypocrite for claiming all he wants to do is have cogent NBA analysis.
JJ made his comments on an ESPN show called First Take. First Take was born from the remnants of a sports-talk show called Cold Pizza. When Cold Pizza switched its format to a debate-style sports show and frequent contributor Skip Bayless became a regular feature, ratings skyrocketed. First Take would be born when contributor Stephen A. Smith became Bayless’ daily debate partner. The ratings responded in kind by vaulting First Take to the most popular sports-talk show in the US. I must personally admit, the original First Take in the early 2010’s may be peak sports-talk content. From Bayless claiming Tim Tebow was the second coming of Jesus Christ to SAS calling JaMarcus Russell a “fat, lazy, Jabba the Hut, no good quarterback.” Yes, he literally said this on national television.
The ESPN executives had struck gold with First Take and attempted to clone what seemed to be an infinite number of debate-style sports-talk shows. Competitors like Fox Sports also have tried to create their equivalent of First Take. In any industry, you have to give the consumers what they want. If they want drama and debate, they will get it. Unfortunately for JJ, there is only so much strategy that the average sports fan can handle. I can guarantee that at least 90% of the entire NBA fanbase has no clue what a flare screen is. Trying to explain a zone defence concept would elicit even more confusion.
Thus, just like junk food, we settle for the easy-to-come-by and immediately satisfying content. We want to see Draymond Green call someone a b-word instead of breaking down how Tyrese Haliburton operates his screen-and-roll offensive sets. We want to see the Jordan-LeBron GOAT debate for the millionth time instead of understanding the rules regarding draft pick compensation during trades. We want to listen to Kendrick Perkins say that the only reason Nikola Jokic is a MVP is because the media voters are white and racist. Once again, yes he actually said this on national television.
JJ comes from a different environment. As a former player, he has the credentials and the experience to bring the player’s perspective to sports content. His podcast, The Old Man and the Three, is littered with advanced basketball analysis with some of the biggest NBA stars and acclaimed senior NBA journalists. But maybe when I’m tired from a long day and want something to relax to, a step-by-step breakdown of jump shot forms or defensive rotations won’t scratch that itch. Just like when we want to have a chocolate bar or a bag of chips, sometimes we want to watch some nonsense like a debate excoriating the Cowboys as failures. I know that chocolate bars are horrible for my body, but sometimes I just want them despite the consequences. Just like how I am watching SAS calling Kwame Brown a scrub while writing this article.
