Despite Sixers fans’ best efforts, JJ Redick is very much retired

JJ Redick isn’t coming back, folks.

The former Philadelphia 76ers guard appeared on the most recent episode of popular Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take where he discussed a wide variety of topics, including his thoughts on whether or not he would ever consider ending his retirement.

While he admitted he has received calls from various organizations dating back to this past summer about stepping back onto the court for one last hoorah, Redick made it abundantly clear his services are no longer available.

“It would be blatantly obvious that I did not belong on an NBA court within two or three possessions,” joked Redick, who turns 38 this June. “Teams called last summer, teams called around the trade deadline, teams have called since, but I can’t cheat the game.”

According to Redick, Sixers fans haven’t shied away from begging the 15-year NBA veteran to come back to Philadelphia for what expects to be a deep postseason run.

“Philly fans are the best, they’re the best,” he said. “They’ve inundated my social media accounts with ‘please come back’, ‘you’re better than this guy on the roster’, ‘you could really help us in the playoffs.’

“I’m thirty-fucking-seven years old. My body, my mind, my emotions were fucking fried. I don’t have anything left in the tank.”

Later in the interview, Redick was asked to provide his playoff predictions, including who he felt would make the Finals out of each conference.

While it surely wasn’t a slight, he left out the Sixers when discussing what he called a “fascinating” Eastern Conference.

“A lot of success in the playoffs is very much matchup dependent, and I got to see that throughout my career,” Redick said. “The East is very much seed-dependent to me, and I think we’re gonna see some fascinating matchups in the first round.”

Redick forecasted that the East would come down to a conference finals matchup between the current one-seed Miami Heat and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.

“If you’re asking who I think is gonna win, everybody’s healthy and let’s just say the two best teams in the Eastern Conference Finals, to me it’s gonna end up being the Bucks and Miami Heat,” he said, “and I think the Miami Heat are the best team in the East.”

Of course, the conversation didn’t end without mention of former Sixers and current Brooklyn Net Ben Simmons.

Podcast host PFT Commenter questioned Redick about the long-perceived notion that Simmons is shooting the ball with his wrong hand, something Redick says he has brought to the attention of the ex-Sixer in the past.

“I’ve told Ben that, he disagrees with me but when I watch him write, he does it with his right hand. If I ask him to throw, he does it with his right hand,” Redick said. “A lot of his dunks, he jumps off his left foot, that’s what a right-handed person does. I’ve watched him shoot, the form more resembles a proper shot than with his left hand.

“I think he’s a right-handed person that shoots the basketball left-handed.”

You’re not alone, JJ.