Did J.J. Redick Just Redeem Himself?

As the current decade comes to a close and we brace for a series of retrospectives, it’s worth asking: who was the most hated athlete of the last ten years? If not number one, J.J. Redick’s certainly in the conversation. Deservedly so.

But in today’s column for the Orlando Magic’s website, John Denton got one quote out of J.J. that was pure brilliance:

“We’re a small market, so we’re going to get less attention. Plus, we don’t have LeBron. Seriously, if the guy (James) said tomorrow that he was going to run for President, (CNN’s) Anderson Cooper would be on SportsCenter for 30 minutes talking about why he’d make a good president.”

As social criticisms go, this is actually quite astute. For one, he’s pointing out that Lebron benefits from untold amounts of hype. But also, he’s making fun of ESPN’s tendency to gravitate toward ridiculous stories involving a select group stars. And is he making fun of Anderson Cooper?

Say, what’s that? Could Lebron James Play For The Browns?! [/actual SporsCenter video]

So, yes. For just one day, J.J. Redick made the rest of us forget why we hated him so much. Ironic, though, since as a star player for ESPN’s favorite son, he used to benefit from the exact same treatment. And THAT's why we hated him.

Need help remembering? Check it out. The poetry starts at the 5-minute mark.

(HT: 3QC)