"He was so damn cocky and good": $45M worth Coach K heaps praise on former Duke superstar who made "his plays work better"

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, led the Duke Blue Devils to five national championships. He coached several NBA players, including Kyrie Irving, Grant Hill, JJ Redick, Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson.

The Hall of Fame coach, who retired in 2022, recently appeared on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" to discuss different topics, including college basketball, NIL and the upcoming NBA draft.

Krzyzewski praised some of his former players. One of them was Redick, the coach of the LA Lakers.

"JJ — he did some stuff that I could not imagine, you know, in hostile arenas," Coach K said on Wednesay (12:36). You know, guys were pulling on his shirt. He was trying to run them into the ground, and he enjoyed putting up 40 on the road or 38 or 36. He was so damn cocky and good. No, he really was. My plays worked better with JJ."

Krzyzewski, who has a net worth of $45 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth), coached Redick for four seasons.

However, the Blue Devils failed to win a championship during Redick's time in Durham, but he is one of the program's all-time greats. He averaged 19.9 points and 2.2 assists per game on 40.6% 3-point shooting.

Coach K once highlighted JJ Redick's competitive spirit and mental preparation

Even before setting foot in the NBA, JJ Redick proved he could compete with the best. One of those who witnessed Redick rise to stardom was former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

During an interview with "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" last July, Krzyzewski revealed what made Redick special and how he prepared for games.

"JJ is amazingly competitive and is prepared as well as any player that I coached at Duke," Krzyzewski said. "Having 15 years of being a pro, he has empathy for the guy trying to make it, who makes it, and for the veteran who is still trying to make it.

"He was never a superstar in the NBA, but he was certainly a superstar and the National Player of the Year. I love him. I think he's terrific and I think he can relate to his players at the best level."

View on TikTok

Redick was hired as the Lakers' coach last summer after the team fired Darvin Ham.