Who Is Halleemah Nash? Everything to Know About Duke Alumnus Who Dropped Massive Accusation on New Lakers Coach

The hits just keep on coming for JJ Redick as he prepares to take on his new job as the Lakers head coach. While many critics are already doubting his credibility for the role because of his lack of coaching experience, JJ faced far more serious allegations following Monday’s introductory press conference held by the Lakers. The accuser? JJ’s fellow Duke University alum, Halleemah Nash.

Just a day after the conference, Nash made this shocking tweet targeting Redick, “I’ve only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team. And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.” Nash did not stop just there.

She came after an hour of the tweet to provide further explanation. “For context, this was years ago and I’m a believer that we all have space to grow- especially from our college level maturity. We live in a world where these exchanges happen and the intersection of race and privilege and lack of accountability all collided w/that presser,” Nash wrote.

Naturally, the internet was left in utter disbelief seeing the massive accusations coming Redick’s way with the tweet garnering millions of views in no time. And many people were left wondering who Halleemah Nash was and what exactly is her truth.

A proud Compton, California native, Halleemah is an avid fan of all the California-based sports teams, including the Lakers. After completing her Bachelor in Business Management from Howard University, she joined Duke in 2002 for her Masters in Divinity and Certificate in Non-Profit Management. That was also the year JJ Redick became a Blue Devil and turned into one of the most popular college players of all time.

According to Nash’s LinkedIn profile, she worked with the university’s basketball team in 2003 and 2004 as the coordinator of the Blue Devil Inner City Youth Project in 2003-04. Probably it was then the two might have crossed paths.

Completing her education in 2005, Halleemah has worked in several influential roles, including the Community Relations Manager of the Chicago Bulls, Executive Director of iMentor and Israel Idonije Foundation, and more. According to her website, as a consultant, she has developed and executed projects for Nike, the Chicago Blackhawks, The City of Compton Mayor’s Office, the United Nations, and celebrity brands Kobe Bryant and Kendrick Lamar.

As of now, Halleemah is working on building her self-founded company Rosecrans Ventures, which helps coach and provide career guidance to underrepresented Gen Z kids. Apart from being a successful social entrepreneur, Halleemah is also a public speaker and an author. Meanwhile, amid the chaos, Redick has broken his silence.

Halleemah Nash’s accusation is a serious loss of face ahead of the Lakers’ job

One of Redick’s spokespersons told TMZ, “No, it never happened.” While there is no solid proof as to who is telling the truth in this scenario, apart from the words of both parties, we might never get to know what transpired at Duke. But it surely has tarnished JJ’s reputation ahead of taking up her new job. Such an allegation is especially disastrous if we look at the Lakers roster for the 2023-24 season while also sparing a thought for its history.

The Lakers are heavily represented by black players. In fact for this, back in 2021, Tom Basile, host of Newsmax Television’s “America Right Now,” called out the Lakers for bias. In an opinion piece in the Washington Times, he commented that there should be an equal representation of both for the team to succeed. However, the Lakers’ history tells a different tale.

If one has to pick only one face for the franchisee, there can be none other than the late Kobe Bryant. Kobe’s stint with the Lakers is staggering: 20 seasons, 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA teams, 12 All-Defensive teams, the 2008 MVP award, two scoring titles, four ASG MVPs, and the fourth-most points in NBA history. However, that will not cloud other iconic Lakers like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal. and not to forget LeBron James. Lakers management is also watchful to tackle the racism issue head on.

Back in 2020, they hired Karida Brown, then an assistant professor of sociology and African American studies at UCLA, as the Lakers’ first director of racial equity and action. It came after its owner, Jeanie Buss, shared a photograph of a racist, hateful letter she received. “Why don’t you look in the mirror and see your ugliness, because I refuse to. I have received letters like this over the years. The advice I always got? `Ignore it.’ I did. But not anymore,” Buss had lashed out on that occasion.

While we do not know the truthfulness of the allegation, it surely does no good to Redick before starting his new role in a franchisee like the Lakers.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.