“I Almost Slapped Him”: Turkish NBA Veteran Unmasks JJ Redick Over Heated Encounter

A 6’10 wing who can dribble, pass and shoot from all three levels? And no, he isn’t Kevin Durant. Before the Slim Reaper there was a different small forward breaking boundaries. The 44-year-old is now the President of the Turkish Basketball Federation. But he hasn’t forgotten his NBA days. Far from it. During his appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, JJ Redick’s former Orlando Magic teammate shared some lesser-known aspects about a specific on-court fight.

Occasional clashes and brawls among players have been a part of the league, then and now. Sometimes, it is among teammates. One of these was the heated brawl involving Hedo Turkoglu and JJ Redick. Over his 15-season tenure in the league, Turkoglu has played for seven different teams. It was during his time with Magic when he got into a fight with Redick. The Turkish star recounted the incident recently.

In the clip by the Knuckleheads’ Instagram page, we can see the host ask Turkoglu about the heated argument and brawl between him and Redick. Speaking of the brawl, Turkoglu mentioned how he lost his patience as Reddick continued to irk him. He said, “I almost slapped him, remember? “He was guarding me. He used to grab and slap and all that. I said, ‘Now, JJ, man, stop doing this s*t, man.”

“I’m just gonna f—ing pass the ball, man. He would just slap and all that. Then you look bad because you turn the ball over. So, I said, ‘JJ, I’m gonna f*k you up,” revealed the 2008 Most Improved Player.

Both of them had different opinions which often led to their fights. Moreover, Turkoglu was easily irritated by Redick. Unfortunately for the Duke legend, that once led to Turkoglu giving Redick a black eye.

Hedo Turkoglu elbowed JJ Redick

In an interview, Redick also spoke about his opinion on the fights with his teammate. He stated that as a young player, practice was the only time where he could show his true potential.

Redick also remembered Turkoglu’s numerous warnings. But despite the warnings, he continued to foul and irritate him. He stated that he once got a black eye because his former teammate elbowed him. 

Earlier this year, Redick would quip about their violent dynamic. “There were multiple acts of violence committed against me,” the 39-year-old recalled.

READ MORE: ‘No One Else Can Do That’: JJ Redick Explains What Sets Zion Williamson Apart in NBA

The two might have had numerous fights, however, it never affected their relationship. Did you know about their fight? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.