Former 76ers Guard JJ Redick Reveals He Almost Quit While Playing at Duke

Social media wasn't much of a thing back in the early 2000s when JJ Redick was starring for Duke basketball. However, the internet still existed, and those who loathed the young Duke superstar at the time found ways to get their opinions on Redick out there for the world to see.

As a young man, Redick was trying to find his identity. Although he didn't believe he matched the persona of a villain as a teenager, Redick eventually gave NCAA basketball fans and opponents precisely what they wanted.

Before Redick was drafted to the NBA in 2006, he was easily one of the most criticized players in the NCAA because of his personality. And to this day, Redick is still remembered as one of the most disliked players to come out of Duke in history. While that's a tough pill to swallow, the 35-year-old NBA veteran is living comfortably with his past image.

Back in Redick's early days at Duke, however, that wasn't the case. From the jump, Redick was a prominent name in college basketball. As a five-star recruit, being top-five at his position in the nation coming out of High School, Redick was bound to deal with some hatred from non-Duke college basketball fans. 

While Redick toughened it out through four years at Duke, it wasn't as easy as it seemed. He might've embraced the heel persona on the court, but behind the scenes, the superstar guard was attending therapy to keep his mind right through the battle.

"It [expletive] me up," Redick mentioned on the 'Pardon My Take' podcast, in regards to his early times at Duke. "It forced me to take on a persona that was not me. There are not too many 18-year-old, 19-year-old kids who are really comfortable with who they are. You're still at the point in your life where you are trying to figure things out. Inevitably, I think every male at that age is a little bit of a [expletive], so the confluence of those things made me into this like, maniac on the court."

Although Redick remained on the Blue Devils for four seasons and went on to have a successful and lengthy NBA career, his bout with basketball almost ended prematurely. "I wanted to quit my Sophomore year," Redick revealed. "December of that year, I had my sisters meet me on campus, and they came over for dinner, and I was like 'I don't want to play anymore, this is not for me, it's not fun.' I really struggled those first two years — it was really hard for me."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_