Basketball

The heartbreak that birthed a freedom fighter in Stephen Jackson


At the heart of one of the defining moments of Stephen Jackson’s playing career is a misunderstanding.

When he barreled into the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Nov. 19, 2004, and started throwing haymakers at Detroit Pistons fans, Jackson was painted as an impulsive, loose cannon with a hair-trigger temper, Ron Artest’s wingman who gleefully pierced the NBA’s sacred boundary when he saw the chance to get a couple of punches off.

In reality, as Jackson has often said in the years since one of the league’s darkest days, he knew going into the stands was wrong even before his foot hit the first seat. But in his eyes, he had no choice. His teammate and friend was in major trouble, and Jackson wasn’t going to let Artest go it alone.

“There’s no way I could have lived with myself knowing that my teammate is in the stands fighting and I’m not helping him,” Jackson told Grantland in 2012.

Sixteen…





READ NEWS SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.