Halleemah Nash Reacts to Lakers Coach JJ Redick Saying He "Never" Called Her the N-Word
A spokesperson for JJ Redick said him calling Halleemah Nash the N-word "never happened."
Published June 27 2024, 10:39 a.m. ET
Content warning: This article contains mentions of the N-word and racial discrimination.
Newly appointed Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick is in hot water after author and speaker Halleemah Nash accused the sports professional of calling her the N-word. The 15-year NBA vet had only been hired on as the new head coach for a week before Halleemah shared her experience of what happened on X, formerly Twitter.
Halleemah and JJ attended Duke University, where JJ played for their Duke Blue Devils basketball team. Halleemah claimed that, during their time in school, JJ orchestrated an unsavory interaction that caused her to speak out and allegedly let the world know who the Lakers were bringing on board. Since her claims, the coach is fighting back against Halleemah through his team. However, it seems she has her proverbial boxing gloves nearby.
JJ Reddick denies calling Halleemah Nash the N-word, and she has responded to his denial.
Halleemah discussed her and JJ's alleged racist interaction via her X account. She stated in her post that him calling her the N-word was the first time she had received such harsh treatment in public.
"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," Halleemah wrote. "And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.
Halleemah didn't name JJ directly, but she didn't have to, as many knew who she was talking about. JJ eventually responded to TMZ through his spokesperson, who denied ever calling his former classmate the N-word.
"No, it never happened," the rep shared with TMZ Sports on Wednesday, June 26.
Halleemah seemingly responded to JJ's rebuttal with another post. This time, she shared a quote insinuating she wasn't going to engage in any discourse from "fools," online or elsewhere.
"A wise man told me don't argue with fools," Halleemah posted. "'Cuz people from a distance can't tell who is who."
As of now, JJ remains employed with the Lakers.
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