It’s true, Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson were not friends, they understood their relationship as playr and coach very differently to what LeBron James and J.J. Redick have. In the spirit of this comparison, one of ESPN’s anchors is demanding for LeBron James and J.J. Redick to be more professional and leave their friendship at the door. Could LeBron James make this happen? There is another alternative that has to do with being a mature adult and learning to separate friendships from work. That can also be achieved by one of the most important NBA players of all time. Remember Redick was also a professional and he wouldn’t jeopardize his job over any friendship. The work comes first but that won’t stop detractors from coming at him.

Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson’s relationship

Coach Phil Jackson is one of the most accomplishedin NBA history and he was always the utmost professional. This lack of fondness with his players is well known, he was also always professional with both Shaq and Kobe during his time with the Lakers. ESPN’s Evan Cohen is notorious for his hot takes and this is certainly one of them. He believes LeBron and Redick are not friends anymore, saying: “MJ and Phil Jackson weren’t friends. If you are going to be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and you were going to succeed, you cannot be friends with your best player.”

But we are daring to say that both LeBron James and J.J. Redick will beg to differ and agree to disagree on this take. It should be interesting to know if they will continue doing their podcast together when the season is going on. They already knew criticism against them was entirely possible but Redick couldn’t let this unique opportunity pass. Coaching the Lakers is a train that never passes by twice. Surely both of them will see the importance of keeping things professional during the season and learn to separate everything.