New Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick has been accused of directing the N-word at an African-American woman while attending Duke in the early 2000s.
The allegation was made in a social media post by entrepreneur Halleemah Nash.
‘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,’ Nash wrote Tuesday on X. ‘And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.’
Redick, 40, was named head coach of the Lakers earlier this week.
Neither his agent nor Lakers spokespeople responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment on Tuesday evening. However, a Redick spokesperson has denied the claim to TMZ: ‘No, it never happened.’
JJ Redick has been accused of directing the N-word at a woman while attending Duke
Nash (pictured) claims Redick called her the N-word while she worked with Duke basketball
Nash has not responded to DailyMail.com’s request for further information.
According to Nash’s LinkedIn page, she coordinated a ‘Blue Devil Inner City Youth Project’ with Duke’s basketball team between August of 2003 and August of 2004.
Redick has been a controversial choice to replace the fired Darvin Ham in Los Angeles because the former Duke star and sharp-shooting NBA guard has no coaching experience. In fact, since retiring in 2021, Redick has primarily worked in media, announcing games for ESPN and even doing a podcast with Lakers star LeBron James.
‘I have never coached in the NBA before,’ Redick joked at Monday’s press conference. ‘I don’t know if you guys have heard that.’
Redick has denied having any contact with James about the coaching position in Los Angeles, which was first offered to Connecticut coach Dan Hurley.
The accusation was made in a social media post by entrepreneur Halleemah Nash
On Monday, Redick said he didn’t mind being the Lakers’ second choice after Hurley turned the team down earlier this month.
‘At no point was my ego or feelings hurt or bruised in any way,’ Redick said. ‘Dan Hurley is a two-time national champion at UConn. I am a two-time 55 Swish League champion in the third- and fourth-grade division. I understood, you know?’
Borne in Cookeville, Tennessee, Reddick and wife Chelsea Kilgore have two children.
He graduated from Duke in 2006 before embarking on a successful NBA career with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks.
