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Lakers Star Breaks Silence After Fallout With JJ Redick
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Lakers Star Breaks Silence After Fallout With JJ Redick

Originally posted on EssentiallySports  |  By Caroline John  |  Last updated Apr 11, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of problems but a fractured locker room won’t be one of them. For about two days, it felt like it. Tensions seemed to boil over on April 7, in a rematch against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jarred Vanderbilt almost confronted JJ Redick on the sidelines for subbing out. He’d refuse to talk to the media in the immediate aftermath while the head coach has spoke about it twice since then. Now for the first time, Vando’s speaking about that incident and where things stand with Redick.

“We talked about it, we moved on from it,” Vanderbilt told reporters after the Lakers’ 101-73 win over Phoenix. “And at this point in the season, we both realize this is the group we got. It’s definitely not a time for anybody to separate. So I think unity, especially with our group right now, that’s super important.”

After that altercation, fans and analysts predicted that was the last time the 27-year-old would play for the Lakers. Rumors ranged from Vando possibly getting benched for the rest of the season to demanding a trade in the offseason.

Far from some wild imagination, Vanderbilt played 19 minutes against the Suns. He finished with six points and seven rebounds, with the Lakers now securing the fourth seed with home court advantage.

While the tension between Vando and Redick had always been concerning, the forward downplayed it as a byproduct of the Lakers’ rollercoaster season. “I think adversity is inevitable in this league,” Vanderbilt stated. “Every team go through ups and downs, injuries, losing streaks, winning streaks. The best teams are the ones that can withstand the tough times and bounce back quicker than other teams. So, I think that’s something that we’ve been able to do this year.”

Vanderbilt bringing back some semblance of peace to LakeShow might be a good thing. Because JJ Redick had made some people sharpen their pitchforks.

JJ Redick buried the hatchet with Jarred Vanderbilt & Co.

The last of JJ Redick’s patience seemed to run out when the Lakers were on the way to a second blowout loss to OKC. He had been yelling at players on the sidelines and things got heated when Vanderbilt confronted him. If it wasn’t for an injured Austin Reaves stepping in, things could’ve gotten worse. But Vando left the arena refusing to speak to reports.

Redick would downplay that confrontation as “nothing personal” and “normal stuff.” But proceed to lay out all the things Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton did wrong that game. His tirade was met with swift backlash from fans and analyst and rumors even persisted he could be fired for it.

The next day, Redick flipped the script and spoke about the emotional toll Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves’ injuries had taken on the team. He also confirmed that he had hashed it out with the players he called out.

Now that Vando has spoke out, Redick addressed the situation with more clarity. “I went to the facility [Friday morning] to meet with Vando and talked to him,” Redick told reporters. “I spent time with Rui [Hachimura] when we got to San Francisco; he came up to my room.”

These meetings were designed to address not just the Vanderbilt spat, but also Redick’s direct criticism of Hachimura’s focus and Ayton’s recent struggles. The meetings were a necessity to prevent a total collapse of team chemistry. Whether this barely put together unity can translate to a postseason run remains the season’s biggest question mark

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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