J.J. Redick manages the Philadelphia 76ers’ balancing act between an NBA career, educating young children and a podcast of his own. SPOX and DAZN spoke with the sniper about his curiosity, the role in Philly and the boundless potential of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
SPOX/DAZN: Mr. Redick, in addition to your active NBA career, you’ve been running your own podcast for some time now. When did you get the idea and how do you manage to find the time for it?
J.J. Redick: That must have been in summer 2015. At that time I was talking to Woj[NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, d. Talk] about the opportunity when he was preparing to launch his website The Vertical at Yahoo! sports on the market. He then switched to ESPN a while later and my podcast has moved as well. I had a short guest performance with Uninterrupted, now I landed firmly with The Ringer. As for time, I enjoy making the podcast, but I’ve also noticed over the past few years that I need to be very effective with my time management. I have children and play in the NBA – of course the podcast doesn’t come in first place, the other things are somehow more important. But when I find the time, I enjoy it. And thank you for listening!
SPOX/DAZN: Did you have to practice conducting interviews first, or did it come naturally?
Redick (laughs): I don’t know if you can call it natural. But I didn’t practice it before, but started with the podcast and just tried it out. I didn’t have any experience with it before. But what helps me a lot is the fact that I am very curious about many different things. I ask a lot of questions. Let me put it this way: I am addicted to information. And what I enjoy about the podcast is the opportunity to hear people I admire and learn from.
SPOX/DAZN: They talk to people from all kinds of industries, but also with many NBA players. There used to be the perception that NBA players should be rivals and ideally hate each other. Is it sometimes strange to talk so openly and honestly with players from other teams?
Redick: I understand what you mean, but it’s actually been pretty easy for me so far. I had already made some very good friendships with some of the boys, others I may not know so well, but I am still interested in what they have to say. In my generation, and even more so in the generation that comes after us, just extremely many players grow up together, so to speak, playing AAU[Amateur Athletic Union, US Youth League, d. Red] or are on the road together in sneaker circuits. We’ve known each other a lot since we were 14 or 15 years old. It would be nonsense to end your friendship as a professional at the age of 22, because you are no longer in the same team. In a way, we all experience the same thing, grow up, have experiences with family, with coaches and so on – and we can talk about it together.
SPOX/DAZN: Then we come to your current situation in the NBA. In Philly you are one of the “adults” in a fairly young team – how would you describe your own role?
Redick: On the court I play as far as I know the second most minutes in the team and do exactly what I like best: I score a little bit, I pass, and I try to defend. Away from the courts…. but I have no idea what that means. That’s a very arbitrary term. It can mean all sorts of things for all kinds of people. I think it’s my job to show the boys how to behave as a professional, how I work and how I prepare myself for games. That’s what I’m here for.
SPOX/DAZN: To what extent does the situation in Philadelphia differ from the last few years that you have seen in the L. A.? Clippers have spent?
Redick: Well, in L. A. we had a team of professionals. When I went to L. A. it was the first time in my career that I was surrounded by people who loved to perfect their skills as much as I did. It was very easy for me in this environment – we didn’t really train at all, because everyone worked so much on their own things. Here it’s different, simply because the players here are younger. You don’t know it yet – I didn’t know at the age of 22 when I was still in the league. You just don’t have any idea yet, so you need one or more older players to show you the way.
SPOX/DAZN: You said you don’t know what veteran leadership is, but that sounds like a pretty good definition. You reached the finals in 2010 with the Magic, and in the Clippers years the worm was always in playoffs. Does it at least help you a little that you have had these experiences?
Redick: In any case, it gives you a new understanding of how important every possession of a ball is and how important each individual game can be. Especially at the end of the season you think about the playoffs, seedings, matchups and all those things – these conversations get more and more detailed with time. I very much hope that we reach the playoffs so that I can share my experiences with the others. But in order to do that, we have to improve[the Sixers are in 9th place at the Eastern Conference with a 20-20 record. Red.].
SPOX/DAZN: Unfortunately, I have already received the signal, but there is one last question I have to say: You have talked about how you want to perfect your skills and how important it is to you. With Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, two of the NBA’s greatest talents are in the squad at the Sixers. Do you have this drive?
Redick: They both want to be great, superstars in this league. I think that one day they will both be accepted into the Hall of Fame, so great is their talent. I just hope that in the time we have together, I can help them a little on their way. In terms of skills, they can achieve anything.