The Los Angeles Lakers are stumbling toward the finish line, and things boiled over at Crypto.com Arena. Head coach JJ Redick and forward Jarred Vanderbilt got into a heated sideline exchange during the team’s 123-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Redick explained exactly what happened after the game.<\/p>\n
In the post game press conference<\/a>, Redick was direct when reporters asked him about it. He said:<\/p>\n “Nothing personal with him. Normal stuff from my end. I think for all of us, being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw. We’ve got to all be on the same page. We’ve got to be great teammates. We’ve got to all play hard. I called a timeout to get him out of the game. And he reacted. But again, normal interaction for me.”<\/p>\n JJ Redick<\/p>\n When pressed on what specifically Vanderbilt was not doing during his shift, Redick did not go into detail. <\/p>\n “It was a confluence of things,”<\/p>\n JJ Redick<\/p>\n He also made clear this was a broader message to the whole group. <\/p>\n “We’ve got to find nine guys that are all-in on us fighting. Whatever you’ve got to do to go out and fight and be all in on the team, we’ll find the nine guys.”<\/p>\n JJ Redick<\/p>\n JJ Redick CALLED OUT the entire roster \ud83d\ude2d<\/p>\n On Rui: \u201cHe wasn\u2019t doing his job so I took him out.\u201d<\/p>\n On Vando: \u201cIt was a confluence of things he did wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n On Ayton: \u201cHe can\u2019t catch the ball.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/E3y4giP281<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 8, 2026<\/a>How the JJ Redick and Jarred Vanderbilt Sideline Confrontation Unfolded<\/p>\n It started just 16 seconds into the second quarter. Redick called a timeout and immediately subbed Vanderbilt out, putting Dalton Knecht in his place. Vanderbilt walked up to Redick near the free throw line while the coach was diagramming a play and made his frustration known.<\/p>\n Austin Reaves, who was out with an injury<\/a>, came off the bench to step between them. Assistant coach Nate McMillan did the same. Even after the timeout ended, Vanderbilt continued jawing on the bench, and Redick made a dismissive gesture that seemed to make things worse.<\/p>\n Another snippet of the interaction between Jarred Vanderbilt and JJ Redick during the Lakers’ timeout early in the 2Q. https:\/\/t.co\/BOcdzjXrpI<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/hISVkYYevW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Vanderbilt did not play again after that. He finished with three points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in five minutes. He had also missed three straight free throws at the end of the first quarter, which might have also been a part of the reason why Redick pulled him so quickly.<\/p>\n After the game, Vanderbilt left the arena without speaking to reporters. The Lakers have now lost three straight games, sit at 50-29, and have three games left. Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves are already ruled out going forward, and this was not a great look for a team that still has something to play for.<\/p>\n Sign up to our\u00a0free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0YouTube,<\/a>Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news.<\/p>\n