After the Los Angeles Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals on May 12, head coach JJ Redick addressed the media. The Lakers fell 115-110 at home, ending their season.
Reflecting on the sweep, Redick said: “When a season ends, there’s a swirl of emotions. I’m incredibly grateful for our players, this organization, and our fans. You know, we’ve seen teams down 3-0 before. There were moments tonight where our team could have given up, could have let go, but they didn’t.”
He praised the home crowd: “The fans were fantastic tonight. I’ve been on both sides of a 0-3 deficit, and often the reaction isn’t great, whether on the road or at home. But tonight, our fans were outstanding. They were amazing.”
Redick emphasized the team’s resilience: “Ultimately, this was a hard-fighting group, a very united group, full of competitiveness. I’m extremely proud of our players—for everything they went through, everything we went through together, and what we became. On the first day of training camp, you don’t know what kind of team you’ll be. I’m proud of what we became.”
When asked about the team’s roster for next season, he said: “For everyone involved, it’s the human part—highs and lows, frustration, victories, joy, belief, and doubt. That’s real. You’re one game, one quarter, one possession away from extreme confidence to a sliver of doubt creeping in. I remember something Rory said: when you’re playing badly, good form seems far away; when you’re playing well, you wonder how you ever thought it was so distant.”
He added: “I think our team experienced all of that this season. We stayed united throughout. I hope we gave the fans a team they could cheer for—maybe not in the way everyone wanted, but still.”
On the bright spots of the season, Redick noted: “We had a lot of players with great individual seasons. Winning 50 games and having home-court advantage in the first round are significant achievements. I think one of our biggest wins—the one I kept talking about late in the season and during the playoffs—was our resilience. We could have crumbled many times in the regular season, especially when hit by injuries. We could have crumbled in the playoffs. Tonight, we could have easily given up.”
He concluded: “I don’t even know what the term ‘moral victory’ means—I don’t believe in it. But I see all the small wins along the way as part of the journey. For every player, every coach, and even for Lakers fans—some might have started following the team after the Luka Doncic trade last year—this is part of their experience as fans. That’s what it is.”
