Stephen Jackson recently visited ESPN True Hoop and had some not so nice things to say about a former teammate.
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In one segment of the show, Jackson unloaded on former teammate Tony Parker, and claimed he was like a “double agent.” Double Agents are like players who snitch on players to the coaches or or causes friction between players and coaches.
When the host asked Jackson if he had encountered any players that fit that category, he immediately named Parker. He also called Parker selfish, and the reason the Spurs lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Western Conference playoffs.
You know what? I have. To be honest with you I really think Tony Parker was one of those guys. I just feel like the whole time when I was there, when I had good games, when I was playing well, I felt like Tony was the guy to really go against me, to go behind my back to Pop to play (Manu) Ginobili, to play other guys because he wanted the credit.
I’m going to give you a perfect example. We was up 2-0 against the Thunder, my last year with the Spurs in (2012). They came back and won three games straight. But game six in OKC, I was
having a hell of a game. I had six threes. Me and Kawhi (Leonard) was playing well. At the end of the game, when my six threes and other guys shots got us back in the game, Tony came in the game and tried to save the day and stopped playing team ball. We ended up losing that series.
I kind of felt like that while he was on the sidelines, he was over there saying sneaky stuff to players and the coaches about getting back in the game so he can try to get his own personal achievements in the game and that’s why we lost. Pop wouldn’t say that. But I remember right after the game, me, Kawhi and Tim (Duncan) was
April 9, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Stephen Jackson (3) during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE
sitting down after we lost, he came over there
and said ‘I should have rode you guys, You all did everything you could.’ That’s his way of saying I should not have put Tony in the game.
Even if those things were true, those are not the kinds of things players take outside of the
locker room, but Jackson doesn’t seem to care.
The problem with Jackson’s story about Parker is the fact that he also had 29 points and 12 assists. That hardly qualifies as being selfish, but Jackson sees it the way he sees it.
For all of the camaraderie that is talked about coming out of San Antonio, they have issues to
resolve like every other team does. There are things that happen the public will never know about, and that’s because players don’t come out of games talking about it to everyone, although some things do slip out from time to time.
Jackson finally departed from the Spurs in 2013 when the team released him due to personality conflicts, which he admits he had been going back and forth with coach Popovich for the entire season.
Next: Ex-Spur Stephen Jackson Eyeing Return To NBA
Jackson mentioned he was going to make a return to the NBA sometime during the 2016-17 season. If does return, you can bank on him not being back in silver and black.