Former NBA player Andre Iguodala spent two decades around NBA locker rooms, coached by some of the most respected names in the league. But when asked who stood out, he didn't hesitate.
He didn't talk about Xs and Os or wins and losses. He talked about principle and the way he sees it, one coach in particular has never gotten the fair treatment he deserves.
When asked directly whether he believes Mark Jackson has been blackballed, Iguodala didn't dance around it.
"I do, yes," he said. "Absolutely."
It wasn't just a gut feeling. Iguodala pointed to one moment in time and one subject in particular that, in his eyes, turned a respected head coach into someone the league quietly pushed out.
"One particular issue was his views on gender or marriage or what the Bible says on your sexuality," Iguodala said in 2019. "And the head of our business, Rick Welts, he's celebrated as one of the top execs in sports on the business side, and he's gay, so there was conflicts with that that was widespread."
Jackson last coached in the NBA in 2014. His run with the Golden State Warriors ended just before the team took off under Steve Kerr, but Jackson's fingerprints were still all over the roster.
He was the one who let Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson loose as a backcourt, the one who built their defensive foundation around Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut. Mark was the one who believed that the team could win big before anyone else did.
For Iguodala, who joined the Warriors in Jackson's final season, the respect ran deeper than wins. Jackson's approach may not have clicked with ownership or upper management, but he had the full trust of the locker room.
"[Jackson] was one of my favorite coaches of all-time," Iguodala said. "He was going to put you in the best position to make the most money. There were players that got paid because of him that shouldn't have gotten paid."
That kind of loyalty isn't easy to find in the NBA. Coaches often focus on short-term wins or chasing playoff spots. Jackson, according to Iguodala, thought beyond that. He saw what players needed to earn a role and turn production into contracts. He made sure his guys looked good and got paid, even if it meant taking heat for the way he ran things.
Since his exit from Golden State, Jackson's name has popped up in job rumors every year. He's interviewed for positions and has remained a regular on NBA broadcasts, but none of it has led back to the sideline. Iguodala believes that the gap has little to do with basketball and everything to do with perception.
Jackson hasn't publicly said much about his time with the Warriors — although he directly addressed speculation that his religious beliefs and practices were forced upon his players in an appearance on "The Boardroom" in 2021 — or why he hasn't been hired again.
But behind the scenes, questions have followed him. Some of it centers on his religious beliefs and the way those beliefs may have clashed with others in the organization.
Iguodala didn't try to hide from that. He acknowledged it directly, pointing to the tension between Jackson and Rick Welts, the Warriors' longtime team president who was widely respected around the league and also openly gay. The suggestion, according to Iguodala, is that Jackson's personal convictions created a divide that was never repaired. And over time, that divide has kept him on the outside looking in.
What makes the situation harder to ignore is the way Jackson still commands respect from players. In a league that often moves quickly and forgets yesterday's names, Jackson's standing hasn't disappeared among the players who were coached by him. That loyalty says something.
For now, there's no clear path back to the NBA for the former head coach. In three seasons as head coach, Jackson registered a 121-109 record, including nine postseason victories.
No comments:
Post a Comment