Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke to media Thursday afternoon and jokingly addressed one of the sillier storylines of the offseason.
In their splashiest move of the summer, the Lakers acquired big man Walker Kessler. The center will play alongside franchise superstar Luka Dončić and rising star Austin Reaves. The three players are currently the highest-paid on the books and, per Redick, have solidified their spot in the starting five.
The rest of the starting lineup is still undecided and will likely become more obvious after training camp and the preseason. But according to Redick, they don't plan on adding two more "white guys" to the lineup. This is not exactly what media folks who attended the press conference expected to hear.
JJ Redick on the Lakers' starting lineup:
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) September 24, 2026
"I'm pretty confident in three of the spots. The other two spots will not be two white guys."pic.twitter.com/NL7yKyV4XB
Lakers like Jake LaRavia (who played all 82 games, starting in 43 last season) and Dalton Knecht won't automatically get a spot in the first five because of their race. But they won't lose out on it due to that reason, either.
Sandro Mamukelashvili will certainly have a chance to earn a spot in the opening night starting lineup. Others including Quentin Grimes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Matisse Thybulle will have a chance as well.
So don't necessarily expect to see the "Snowtime" Lakers (as coined by Bill Simmons) all take the floor at the same time when the season begins.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: JJ Redick joke about Lakers' ‘white guys’ will make you spit take
