Shortly after North Carolina beat Gonzaga to win the NCAA championship, Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick tweeted his congratulations to the Tar Heels.

That must have been tough for the former All-American at Duke, UNC's arch-rival. But Redick didn't dwell on the congrats, because he had a more important topic to discuss — the issue of paying NCAA athletes.

Congrats to UNC. Seriously. Also- every player on the court tonight should have been paid. Scholarships don't count. Don't @ me. — JJ Redick (@JJRedick) April 4, 2017

"Congrats to UNC. Seriously," Redick tweeted. "Also — every player on the court tonight should have been paid. Scholarships don't count. Don't @ me."

His thought struck a nerve with his followers, some of whom disagreed with him. According to ESPN, Redick addressed the issue before the Clippers practice session Tuesday, saying he got "a lot of text messages" after the tweet from friends who also didn't necessarily agree with his take.

Redick continued at length on the topic (via ESPN).

"It's a really complex issue," he said. "Actually, I've been reading more and more about it. And I think at some point I would really like to dive into this on my podcast and really just … because it is complex and there's some stuff you want to be sensitive to. But the thing is, just like a general overview, the idea of amateurism — it doesn't exist anymore.

"And so if you're going to do what you're doing, then you just need a complete overhaul. It's got to be something radical. It's not like, 'Oh, let's figure out a way to pay every player $5,000.' It's not that. You know, it really requires something really radical. And maybe that's getting rid of collegiate athletics as we know it. I mean these guys are professional athletes in everything they do — without getting paid.

"If you're playing in a sport that is making millions of dollars — for either your school or the NCAA — you should get a piece of that. And the scholarship doesn't cover your piece — your rightful piece. That's my two cents."