JJ Redick is going to be a great addition to Philadelphia in a number of ways, beyond what his impact will be to the Sixers on the court. Not that we need any more Sixers podcasts, but he’s a tremendous presence on that front, and his involvement with Uniterrupted should give fans a closer look at their favorite franchise than perhaps they’ve ever had.
In a new short documentary titled, “The Process With JJ Redick,” the veteran shooting guard takes the public on a journey through his free agency decision. It skips past a lot of the usual cliches athletes use to talk about free agency, taking a long, hard look at the process behind a big decision like this.
One thing that seems immediately clear is that sticking around with the Clippers was never in the cards. “I think I’ve had a loss of joy,” he says. “I look at our team and how we play, and there’s no joy in it. That bothers me.”
It sounds like the Sixers’ free agency welcome party did a lot to convince him there was joy to be found playing with the young core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. Redick says he knew Philly was a great fit coming in, and their initial meeting only strengthened that belief.
Philly is the team I wanted to play for. It was past midnight on July 1st, and when I walked in, there were like 30 76ers employees, first thought was, they’re all here for free agency, but I guess they were all there for me.
I was able to have a really good conversation with Brett Brown about some actions we could run next year, it was just a really good conversation, I was sort of overwhelmed by the atmosphere. One of the things I told them in the meeting is I wanted to be around a good group and good people, and that’s sort of what they were preaching to me. It left a good impression on me ... I think ultimately I ended up in the perfect situation.
His decision—which Redick says was based on 30 percent winning, 30 percent salary, 30 percent fit and enjoyment, and 10 percent looking out for his family—was not one reached overnight. Despite most players lying and saying they don’t think about these decisions until the offseason, he confessed that it’s always in the back of their minds.
“Every guy says I’m not thinking about free agency, I’ll deal with it after the season, I’ll sit down with my family and my agent and we’ll talk about it,” he said. “The reality is these conversations are happening throughout the year. Ray Allen used to say, I’m trying out every night, you’re playing for a job every night.”
Redick also discusses being the veteran leader for the first time, the role of family in his decision, and really the full video is worth a watch if you have some time on your hands this afternoon. If for no other reason, watching him splash a few jumpers during workouts should help you envision how much he’ll aid the young guns on the court this season.