Despite the initial excitement of winning the inaugural In-Season tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t carry that momentum into the postseason. Now, with the upcoming season on the horizon, all eyes are on the Lakers as they prepare under their new head coach, JJ Redick. However, it seems that Redick’s appointment is not thrilling to everyone. On his podcast, Gilbert Arenas exposed an interesting twist involving another ex-player who accused Redick of having a less-than-friendly attitude towards him. But the drama doesn’t stop there.

On the Gil’s Arena podcast, the discussion took a surprising turn when the topic of the Lakers’ potential this season came up. When asked if a healthy Lakers team could finish in the top four in the West, Rashad McCants didn’t hesitate to share his thoughts. He threw shade at Redick by recalling an incident in Vegas, saying, “After the look JJ gave us in Vegas and the way he treated my boy Steve, I don’t got no love for the Lakers man.”

The atmosphere lightened up quickly, though, when Arenas interrupted with a playful jab. “What other excuses you need not to like the Lakers?” The room burst into laughter as Arenas added on the podcast, “We know you. You don’t need another excuse (to hate Lakers).” It’s not hard to see where Arenas is coming from.

McCants has a history of being a vocal Lakers critic, especially after their lackluster performance last season. He even took shots at LeBron James, saying, “He want the credit, he don’t want the blame.” But Gilbert Arenas wasn’t having it, defending LeBron with, “Nah, that don’t work at all. Everything is his fault. If he wins a championship, it’s somebody else’s win. If he loses, it’s his fault.”

Moreover, McCants’ wild predictions don’t stop at criticism. In another episode, he successfully predicted JJ Redick’s appointment as the Lakers’ head coach, along with the possibility of Bronny James joining the team in the future. However, what really raised eyebrows was McCants’ claim that LeBron and Redick were somehow behind these moves, adding fuel to the conspiracy theories that seem to surround the Lakers at every turn.

Rashad McCants shocked Gilbert Arenas with his wild theory

Before JJ Redick joined the Lakers, he and LeBron James teamed up for a podcast called Mind The Game, where they dove deep into the sport they both love. They discussed everything from the state of the game to breaking down plays, creating a space for real basketball talk. But that wasn’t the only purpose, according to Rashad McCants. On Gil’s Arena, McCants claimed that LeBron and Redick’s podcast was more than just a passion project; it was a way to prepare for their future roles in Los Angeles as a player and coach.

He elaborated on his theory, saying, “JJ and LeBron start a podcast. JJ says he wants to be a coach. LeBron knows Darvin’s a*s and his days are numbered. JJ gets hired by the Lakers. LeBron is still a player. JJ, get to coach LeBron. They bring in Bronnie. The podcast thrives.”

However, LeBron James had a different take on the podcast’s purpose. James shared that he started the podcast because of his frustration with the online content that focused too much on player comparisons, legacies, and debates. He felt that the discussions lacked depth and meaning, so he and Redick wanted to offer something different—authentic basketball.

Now Redick will get to coach LeBron. Whether it was part of the plan all along, as Kanye West once put it, I guess we’ll never know.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.