JJ Redick issues statement after viral video catches him seemingly using slur
J.J. Redick is no stranger to controversy, although this is a bit different.
During his days at Duke, Redick was among the most hated players in college basketball, portrayed as a rich white kid who got everything he wanted, and would never amount to anything in the NBA.
Did he whine about calls against him? Sure, but if he went to a lower profile school, nobody would even notice.
Now in his 12th year in the league, Redick has carved out a nice career, earning more than $56 million.
And, he’s done so while rarely generating any negative publicity.
Until now.
For the past few years, the NBA has put out a video saluting the Chinese New Year. It’s actually produced by Tencent, but with such high popularity in China, the league gets several stars on video with celebratory greetings.
Redick stood before the camera and said, “I just wanted to wish all the NBA c—k fans of China a very happy Chinese New Year.”
Predictably, as people heard Redick use a racial slur, reaction spread like wildfire.
Sunday afternoon, the Sixers guard sent out a tweet saying he got “tongue tied” and would never use a slur like that against anyone.
https://twitter.com/JJRedick/status/965277620823822336
Redick is one of the most polished players in the NBA when it comes to speaking. He even hosts a regular podcast, which is among the most popular in the league.
So his explanation of being tongue-tied may be hard for some to believe. But in his defense, he doesn’t have any history of racial insensitivity, either.
Meanwhile, his comment was removed from the final version of the video.
The 33-year-old signed a one-year, $23 million deal with Philadelphia after spending the previous four seasons with the Clippers.
The Sixers, like all NBA teams, are off for the All-Star break. Philadelphia will return to action Thursday night in Chicago, trying to extend a five-game winning streak.
Redick will certainly hope this dies down by then.
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