Former NBA coach Phil Jackson recently commented on how political the NBA has become, resulting in him scaling back on how often he tunes in to basketball since 2020. While on Rick Rubin’s ‘Tetragrammaton’ podcast, Jackson was asked if he’s been watching basketball frequently since retiring from NBA coaching in 2011. Jackson said, “No, I don’t.” He continued, “They went into the lockout year, and they did something that was kind of wonky. They did a bubble down in Orlando, and all the teams that could qualify went down there and stayed down there. And they had things on their backs like ‘Justice.’ I made a little funny thing like, 'Justice just went to the basket and Equal Opportunity just knocked him down.' [...] So, my grandkids thought that was pretty funny to play up those names. So, I couldn't watch that.”
Jackson went on to say “catering” to certain audiences turned off himself and audiences who just want to watch the sport. Now, ESPN analyst Jalen Rose has addressed the comments made by Jackson.
Via social media, Rose said, “You can’t make this up. Hall of Fame coach and 11-time champion Phil Jackson claims to have stopped supporting the NBA because it became ‘too political’ when it went into the bubble and was catering to certain audiences by putting slogans on the back of jerseys and Black Lives Matter on the floor.”
Rose didn’t stop there, as he pointed out that Jackson was able to gain a large amount of money from working with some of the greatest Black athletes who have ever played ball. “The same Phil Jackson that won championships with some of the greatest Black athletes in the history of the game – Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant. Made millions on their backs and off their sweat equity. You’re sitting there watching the game with your grandkids and y’all think it's funny when justice passes the ball to equal opportunity. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them,” said Rose. He then concluded with “So, stop watching… forever.”
Source: Twitter.com
