When someone brings up San Antonio Spurs’ Stephen Jackson’s name what usually pops to mind is not what he does on the court, but off it.
Since joining the NBA, Jackson has been in the midst of controversy which has lent to his reputation as a bad apple. From his gun-incident while with the Pacers, to his role in the infamous brawl with the fans in 2004 during a Pistons-Pacers game but if you ask Jackson if he is really a bad guy, he would have you think otherwise.
And it’s not just Jackson who would have you think otherwise as well.
Spurs’ Tim Duncan once referred to Jackson as the “ultimate teammate” during his first stint in San Antonio and his is known to give back to the community.
However, all those negative incidents were when he was a young, brash player but now that he has come full-circle to where he blossomed as an NBA player, Jackson is an old, grizzled, veteran of the NBA and knows in the end, it’s just about the team and winning an NBA title as he did with the Spurs back in 2003.
In a recent interview (h/t Project Spurs) Jackson opened up about his less-than-stellar reputation, the “Malice at the Palace,” how then Spurs assistant coach Mike Brown had to watch over him while in San Antonio, and much more.
