Lakers coach JJ Redick on heated exchange with Luka Dončić: 'I don't know why it went viral'

You may have seen a clip of Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick and star Luka Dončić getting into it on the sideline recently. It happened during the Lakers' 129-101 win against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. The fact that it went viral, though, does not necessarily mean it is significant.

"I don't know why it went viral," Redick told reporters before the Lakers' 110-101 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. "It felt very normal to me."

Redick and Dončić were teammates with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021. Dončić went on Redick's podcast in 2022. Just a couple of weeks ago, a clip of another sideline interaction between them went around. They were discussing outerwear. Redick insisted that Dončić, who was out of the lineup, was wearing a blouson. Dončić simply called it a jacket. Afterward, Dončić presented Redick with an identical jacket/blouson.

"I've known Luka now for -- whatever it is -- about six years," Redick told reporters, via The Athletic's Dan Woike. "Our relationship is strong. It's only going to get stronger."

There are plenty of fair ways to criticize the Lakers. You can say that they're not as good as their 37-24 record suggests, as they have the point differential of a slightly above-average team. You can say that Dončić spends too much time complaining to referees. You can say that the roster is top-heavy and light on two-way players. On this one, though, I'm with Redick. He and Dončić had a little spat. Then they moved on. No biggie.

"I didn't think much of it at the time, to be honest with you," Redick told reporters. "I don't think Luka did, either. He and I have a great relationship. I really value our relationship. And I think those things happen. Not every game, but they happen very frequently."

Redick added: "I was talking to Luka about it. We were actually laughing about it. I was like, 'I didn't feel any tension.' He was like, 'Nah, I didn't care about it.'"