JJ Redick is often the one asking and learning stories about former players, but he recently was on the other side of the street when Grant Hill revealed one punishment he received during his rookie season. The retired sharpshooter learned that rookies have to go through a tough period as soon as they land in the league, and once, things were about to get really nasty for him.
The former player-turned-analyst was selected by the Orlando Magic in 2006 after spending four years full of controversy at Duke. JJ once was late to practice, and nobody was having that, punishing the player for his irresponsibility. Recently, Grant Hill made an appearance on Redick's The Old Man and the Three podcast, recalling this crazy situation.
Hill went on to say that Hedo Turkoglu even tried to convince his teammates to pee on Redick, but Hill quickly shut down that idea.
“The veterans brought him in the locker room and put him in the roller chair… Then they start duck-taping him to the chair. They then wheel [JJ] into the showers and turn the showers on him. And then Hedo Turkoglu was like, ‘Let’s pee on him!’ I was like, ‘No, no, no!’ They then wheeled him out onto the court and then duck-taped him in the chair to the basketball stanchion and just left him there.”
NBA rookies not named Shaquille O'Neal have to go through these experiences during their first year, regardless of what pick they are. Sometimes, teammates take jokes too far, as Turkoglu tried with Redick.
There are many stories we don't know about all the players that had rookie duties, and some must be even wilder than this. Fortunately, Hill instantly removed this idea from Turkoglu's head, but perhaps, if he wasn't there, Redick would have gotten pee on himself.
More must-reads: