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The Los Angeles Lakers entered their second season under head coach JJ Redick hoping to improve on last year’s early playoff exit.
With just over a third of the NBA season now complete, the Lakers have experienced some ups and downs this year. After a 15-4 start, the Lakers struggled with inconsistency. In Thursday’s primetime matchup, the team fell short of Redick’s expectations.
The Houston Rockets dominated the Lakers en route to a 119-96 victory on Christmas Day. Redick trash-talked after Los Angeles lost a third straight game, questioning his team’s effort and professionalism.
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Former Bearcat and NBA player Kenyon Martin acknowledges the crowd during a stoppage in the game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 14, 2024. (Aaron Doster/Image Images)
“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick said. “And that’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be a professional.” The assessment sparked a strong reaction from former NBA player Kenyon Martin.
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“So you said words of the day are what? Is this the damn kindergarten class where you put the words of the day on the damn board? What are we talking about here?” Martin asked on a recent episode of “Gil’s Arena.”
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick calls a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on December 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“‘The words of the day are effort and execution.’ I saw it when I used to drop my son off at school in kindergarten two years ago. There was a word of the day on the door when you walk in. You have to tell the teacher the word of the day before you walk into the classroom. Is this what we’re doing here? We’re professional athletes making 30, 40, 50 million dollars a year. That’s what we’re doing here.”
Martin then posed a theory about how the Lakers locker room views Redick.
“JJ, I don’t know if you know this or not, bro. Those guys don’t respect you. You’re their equal. Just because you have the title of head coach, they don’t look at you as one.” Redick last appeared in an NBA game in 2021 with the Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts to his team’s loss of lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth quarter during Game 4 of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Matt Blewett/Image Images)
From Martin’s perspective, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, is seen more as a leader than the team’s head coach.
“And the main company is the guy you just got the podcast with. That helped you get the job, man. Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said. “Once you address the crying, every possession to the rest with Luka and Austin Reeves and LeBron once. If you address it once, if they respect you, they’ll do everything they can to try to change it because you’re a new voice there. And you gave a certain effort when you played, JJ Redick. You did. You played hard every time you stepped on the court. People respected that about you.”
Redick also vowed to make Saturday’s practice ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings “uncomfortable” for the Lakers.
