"What a world" - Duke's Halleemah Nash accuses JJ Redick of using racial slur to her amid Lakers hiring NBA veteran as head coach
JJ Redick was named the new LA Lakers coach in an introductory news conference that wasn't a stranger to controversy on Monday. The former NBA player is now taking on a new challenge with the Californians as his first coaching experience at any level, but this journey might be off to an odd start.
Businesswoman Halleemah Mash, who worked with Duke's basketball team, on Tuesday claimed that the only time she was called the N-word by a white man, Redick was the person who said it.
"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. And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world," Mash tweeted.
JJ Redick hasn't replied to the accusation.
Halleemah Nash is the founder of Rosecrans Ventures, which bills itself as "an underrepresented talent solutions firm," focused on "embracing diversity, inclusion, and equity."
Redick played for Duke from 2002 through 2006, becoming a villain for opponents while also being the national player of the year and a three-time All-American.
This isn't the first time Redick has been linked to news about racism. He apologized in 2018 after seemingly using a racial slur against Chinese fans while wishing NBA fans a happy Chinese New Year.
"It came out the wrong way," Redick said in a now-deleted tweet, via ESPN. "At the time we recorded it, no one in the room ... heard the word that I purported to say. Had I known it sounded anything like that, I would have been mortified and recorded the greeting over again."
JJ Redick fired NSFW message to doubters after being announced as Lakers' new HC
It's been a busy 24 hours for JJ Redick, who dropped an F-bomb on Monday after being asked if he wanted to prove critics wrong with the Purple and Gold.
"I certainly heard everything," Redick said. "It's been a really interesting six weeks or so. Just in terms of being part of the engagement-farming industry. However, I don't really have a great answer for your question, 'cause I really don't give a f**k. I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don’t want to dispel anything."
These words earned him some criticism from analysts asking public figures to stop dropping bad words during news conferences.
Still, JJ Redick is ready to take on a new challenge in his journey. He won't have an easy task, as the Lakers are expected to win every season, especially with two stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis.