Mark Jackson has had a courtside seat to the past five NBA Finals, repeatedly watching the team which fired him play for — and win — championships.
At least one of his former players, Andre Iguodala, believes Jackson should get comfortable with the view.
According to Iguodala, Jackson, who coached the Warriors for three years and was fired in 2014 after leading the team to consecutive playoff berths for the first time in more than two decades, hasn’t received another coaching opportunity since then because he is being blackballed by the league’s owners.
Though the Warriors veteran didn’t provide a specific reason for his belief, Jackson, a licensed minister, created issues with his former bosses with his intolerant attitude towards the gay community. Following Jason Collins’ announcement in 2013 that he was gay, Jackson reportedly said he wouldn’t welcome a homosexual on his team, saying “Not in my locker room,” and “I’ll pray for him,” causing conflict with Warriors president Rick Welts, who is openly gay.
“One particular issue was his views on gender or marriage or what the Bible says on your sexuality, and the head of our business … so there was conflicts with that that was widespread,” Iguodala said on The Breakfast Club. “Someone mentioned it to me, people can express themselves, but are you allowed to express yourself that you don’t agree with it? You should accept it, because we should all accept each other, but it’s like we’re afraid to really say our beliefs now. You may not believe in something, but you still have respect for them, as long as you don’t disrespect them or judge them.”
Despite maintaining strong relationships with players such as Stephen Curry, Jackson, 54, had conflicts with several people in the organization, including fellow coaches and owner Joe Lacob.
“Part of it was that he couldn’t get along with anybody else in the organization,” Lacob said a few months after the firing. “And look, he did a great job, and I’ll always compliment him in many respects, but you can’t have 200 people in the organization not like you.”
Jackson re-signed a multi-year deal with ESPN/ABC in 2017, and unsuccessfully interviewed for the vacant Knicks head coaching position in 2018.
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