"That was the first time where I'd seen a reference to my little sister" - JJ Redick on the worst thing a fan said to him

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At one point in his basketball career, JJ Redick was the most hated player in America. During Duke games, college students cursed and shouted every insult known to man at him.

JJ was hated partly because he played in one of the best collegiate basketball programs in the world. He was also a generational shooter, which upset the fans even more.

The worst fan experience Redick had was in 2004 against Maryland. He lighted up the stat sheet with 26 points, including five 3-pointers on six attempts. As Duke's guard looked at the crowd, he saw one of the vilest things a human could say to a fellow human.

Nasty fans

"That was the first time where I'd seen a reference to my little sister," Redick said. "She was 12 at the time, and somebody made a sign saying they had sex with her, which was pretty gross, pretty sick and twisted," JJ recalled.

Like any other guy, Redick got affected by insults. Still, he has learned to take all the hatred lobbed at him and turn it into motivation. Even amid all the slagging JJ received, the Duke standout became one of the best collegiate shooters in history.

When he stepped foot in the NBA, Redick initially struggled because of his size. But the good ones always find a way. After years of sitting on the bench, Redick became part of the regular rotation.

The ideal Lakers coach

Twenty years later, Redick is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers—he got the job days after UConn's Dan Hurley declined the six-year, $70 million to join L.A.

Colleagues quickly warned JJ about the Lakers' very passionate fan base. The Russell Westbrook era showed that some fans can be very toxic and hateful. Redick's former teammate Matt Barnes advised him to be ready and have tough skin.

"JJ's a great mind; he definitely deserves a shot. That Lakers seat is always going to be a hot seat, and it's always going to be a fall seat. So, whoever takes it better be ready. Gotta have tough skin," Barnes said. "JJ is my dawg, so I'm always gonna support him."

Enduring the fans might be the easiest part of JJ's new job—the collegiate experience already trained him for that. Everything else will be a bigger challenge, even though, based on his introductory press conference, the retired sharpshooter seems ready.