BOSTON – J.J. Redick often cites his obsessive-compulsive personality as the cause for some of his actions, and, he said, it’s why he breaks one of the cardinal rules of being a professional athlete – he reads the comments.
When Redick logs on to Twitter, the social media site that he uses to consume news stories, he clicks on his mentions, forcing the counter on his phone to reset. He zips past most but about 10 percent sneak through, giving Redick a chance to see what people are thinking about him.
Sometimes, the comments rip his defense. Saturday, though, some of the comments questioned Redick’s Christian faith and others suggested he play basketball in Canada – which he will do on Monday when the Clippers face the Raptors.
In an article in the L.A. Times on Friday, Redick said he was scared for the future of the country because, among other reasons, people are losing healthcare and the ability to chose what to do with their own bodies.
“What I said wasn’t even bad,” Redick said after the article was published. “… But yeah, there have been a lot of trolls.”
Redick, who voiced his opinions throughout the election process, is just one of the Clippers comfortable not sticking to sports – and Coach Doc Rivers is all for it.
“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s, other than basketball, if I have one goal as a coach it’s to get our guys out of their basketball lives. I think too many of our players hide in this unrealistic lifestyle and we need to get out into the real world. … I’ve pushed them.”
Redick said his major frustrations come from how opposing opinions are received.
“There has to be a level of human decency where you just treat other people with respect,” he said. “You don’t bully them. That’s the frustrating part.”
The Clippers are no strangers to social issues. In Rivers’ first year with the team, Donald Sterling made racist comments and sparked a massive controversy.
Players and their involvement in politics, this time, though is different. During the Sterling saga, players mostly stayed quiet in public, trying to stay as focused on their playoff games as possible.
But Jamal Crawford, who live-tweeted the presidential debates this past fall, said silence wasn’t really an option this time around.
“I just thought, especially in this time with everything going on, caring about this country, I thought I should voice my frustrations. I try to keep Twitter as real and organic as possible.
And if people don’t like that?
“I’m not concerned with that,” he said.
Redick said he talks politics with Blake Griffin, and the two send each other memes like the Barack Obama/Joe Biden ones. Luc Mbah a Moute is also willing to add his unique perspective.
“It’s different for me because I’m not American. I live here and work here, but I don’t vote. I didn’t have a chance to. I can kind of speak from the outside and inside perspective,” Mbah a Moute, who was born in Cameroon, said. “…Guys want to know what it’s like for an immigrant. I have a lot of friends who are immigrant – legal and illegal. I think they know they can always talk to me and get that side of the perspective.”
Rivers has tried to spark conversations within his team, whether by bringing in speakers such as U.S. senator Kamala Harris or by speaking to his team before practice about current events.
“We need to say what you feel if you think you can make a difference,” he said.
Notes
Redick briefly left the game in the second half after an inadvertent elbow opened up a cut over his eye. Redick said after the game that he felt fine. … Raymond Felton continued to play through shoulder and leg injuries, scoring 16 points off the Clipper bench. ... After scoring in double figures just twice in 12 games, Crawford has had 14 or more points in five of the Clippers’ past six games.
Contact the writer: dwoike@scng.com
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