Lakers’ Cam Reddish catches stray from J Cole in his newest album

While Cole didn’t outright diss Reddish, he wasn’t exactly complimenting the former top-10 pick either, via Genius.

“Seen plenty bodies trembling, resembling Cam Reddish,” Cole raps on “Pi.” “So full of potential, but never given a real chance to develop.”

At first, the bar seems like an inaccurate statement. Reddish has had plenty of chances to prove himself in stints with the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and now the Lakers. However, the seventh-year veteran still has yet to live up to his lofty draft status. How is that anyone’s fault but his own?

The first line reveals the true meaning, upon deeper inspection. Reddish has had plenty of injuries throughout his NBA tenure, starting with a right achilles injury that kept him out the majority of his second season. After that, he appeared in less than half of the season’s games every year until now. In 2023-24, he’s finally passed the halfway mark, playing in 46 games thus far.

Even this year, though, Reddish has been sidelined with several different issues. The latest was a right ankle sprain that’s just now starting to heal, as he’s expected to return to the court against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. However, the Duke alum has still missed 29 games this year, and this is the most he’s played since his rookie year (58 games).

It’s hard to develop into a great player when injuries get in the way this much. Cole was comparing Reddish’s unfortunate luck to violence in the streets, seeing “bodies tremble” and people getting hurt, or even dying. Just like victims of gun violence, Reddish’s unfortunate career arc is not entirely his fault, and is a result of unfortunate circumstances.

Although the line may be valid, it’s not the type of lyric that would make its subject excited about it. Legends like James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant get celebrated in rap songs, and are often used as barometers of greatness. Meanwhile, Reddish was mentioned in a tragic context, his name being used to evoke dark imagery.

With the Lakers on a three-game win streak and sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference, Reddish has a chance to re-write his narrative. If he can help Los Angeles continue its momentum and go on a deep postseason run, perhaps Cole’s lyric will age like milk. Until that happens, though, Reddish will be remembered as yet another highly-touted prospect who couldn’t reach his full potential.