I'd just like to thank Stephen for a very memorable (to say the least, whether you loved him or hated him) 2.5 years as an Indiana Pacer. Whether you will recall his stint as an embarrassment to the franchise; a simply adequate heir to Reggie's throne (due to his ever-growing reputation); or a player who stepped up his play in the big moments and in the playoffs - Jack was certainly part of the absolute core of this squad. No matter if you remember his 22 PPG stretch in the 04-05 season when Jermaine was hurt, or that he took the scoring load on his shoulders during that painfully short playoff run - he was at the very least a serviceable shooting guard, at most times an above average performer, and during stretches, a versatile wing player whom was impossible to stop.
Obviously, most of you diehard Pacers fans will simply think of two particular incidents - 11/19 and Club Rio. Unfortunately, many casual sports fans attribute Jack as the prototypical modern NBA thug, an unappreciative gang member who enjoys causing trouble. However, though his actions were much less than acceptable, he seemingly made legitimate attempts to rectify his attitude problems. With his background, it is a lot more difficult to overcome than most of us could ever comprehend.
There is the far too unnoticed side of Stephen Jackson, that almost never gets any of the spotlight - the good side. During this past summer, Jackson founded the Stephen Jesse Jackson Academy in his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. This institution will emphasize academics and fine arts. It will initially be open to children in kindergarten through sixth grade, with plans to add grades seven through 12 later. Additionally, during this past summer, Jack made a point to create deep bonds with his children and he said the entire experience was gratifying and humbled him quite a bit.
As far as chemistry "issues," they were hugely blown out of proportion. Many teammates liked Jack a lot, and considered him to be the funniest Pacer in the locker room. They also knew he was loyal (almost to a fault) and would step it up when the pressure was on. Fans always would comment on his friendliness and overall pleasant demeanor, commonly referring to him as the nicest Pacer to meet in person.
His performance on the court mirrored that of his personal life - inconsistent. When his shot is falling, he is an excellent threat offensively. Jack can post up, drive to the hoop, hit the mid-range, and definitely can knock down three-pointers (hell, he hit 4 3's in 4 straight possessions last year in a game). Defensively, his effort could be up-and-down as well. When he had the motivation, his man would basically be locked down. Most nights it would be a very solid effort on that end of the court, no matter how his shot was falling. Stephen certainly had his rough patches - where nothing would fall through the twine and where his defensive effort was lackluster to say the least - but his good commonly outweighed the bad, in my opinion. Rick Carlisle didn't call him a top 10-15 player at his position just for the hell of it.
Speaking of Carlisle, his shouting matches were pretty well-documented. His fiery personality caused him to direct his displeasure to his coach (and the referees as well). Carlisle and Jack were happy 99.9% of the time, but if Stephen got unhappy, he voiced his opinion. Obviously, you need to respect authority figures, but Jack would let his emotions get the best of him. Overall, Carlisle valued Stephen a lot, and vice versa. After all, Rick went straight to Jack and JO this past offseason to make sure they supported him as head coach.
I'll conclude with my favorite memory of Stephen Jackson. It was the pivotal game 5 of the Celtics - Pacers first round series during the 04-05 season. I was 3 rows away from the floor, practically courtside (dropped a few benjamins, but I really wanted to see the vantage point from the floor, and it was worth it). During the 4th quarter, it was obviously a ridiculous atmosphere. I was waving around my JO jersey, and had my Jack jersey on. During a stoppage in play, he saw me and nodded. Then, about 10 seconds later, he looked at me again, so I pointed to the "1" on my jersey, and he winked. Basically, you could tell he was happy to see a Pacers fan right there, supporting them in a hostile environment. He was the only Pacer to flat-out acknowledge me the entire game. I'll always appreciate that - when your favorite athlete takes the time to show gratitude for your support.
Thanks for your tenure, Jack, on behalf of perhaps your absolute biggest fan. Good luck in Golden State (my new second favorite team obviously).
Remember... JACK > YOU.
Obviously, most of you diehard Pacers fans will simply think of two particular incidents - 11/19 and Club Rio. Unfortunately, many casual sports fans attribute Jack as the prototypical modern NBA thug, an unappreciative gang member who enjoys causing trouble. However, though his actions were much less than acceptable, he seemingly made legitimate attempts to rectify his attitude problems. With his background, it is a lot more difficult to overcome than most of us could ever comprehend.
There is the far too unnoticed side of Stephen Jackson, that almost never gets any of the spotlight - the good side. During this past summer, Jackson founded the Stephen Jesse Jackson Academy in his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. This institution will emphasize academics and fine arts. It will initially be open to children in kindergarten through sixth grade, with plans to add grades seven through 12 later. Additionally, during this past summer, Jack made a point to create deep bonds with his children and he said the entire experience was gratifying and humbled him quite a bit.
As far as chemistry "issues," they were hugely blown out of proportion. Many teammates liked Jack a lot, and considered him to be the funniest Pacer in the locker room. They also knew he was loyal (almost to a fault) and would step it up when the pressure was on. Fans always would comment on his friendliness and overall pleasant demeanor, commonly referring to him as the nicest Pacer to meet in person.
His performance on the court mirrored that of his personal life - inconsistent. When his shot is falling, he is an excellent threat offensively. Jack can post up, drive to the hoop, hit the mid-range, and definitely can knock down three-pointers (hell, he hit 4 3's in 4 straight possessions last year in a game). Defensively, his effort could be up-and-down as well. When he had the motivation, his man would basically be locked down. Most nights it would be a very solid effort on that end of the court, no matter how his shot was falling. Stephen certainly had his rough patches - where nothing would fall through the twine and where his defensive effort was lackluster to say the least - but his good commonly outweighed the bad, in my opinion. Rick Carlisle didn't call him a top 10-15 player at his position just for the hell of it.
Speaking of Carlisle, his shouting matches were pretty well-documented. His fiery personality caused him to direct his displeasure to his coach (and the referees as well). Carlisle and Jack were happy 99.9% of the time, but if Stephen got unhappy, he voiced his opinion. Obviously, you need to respect authority figures, but Jack would let his emotions get the best of him. Overall, Carlisle valued Stephen a lot, and vice versa. After all, Rick went straight to Jack and JO this past offseason to make sure they supported him as head coach.
I'll conclude with my favorite memory of Stephen Jackson. It was the pivotal game 5 of the Celtics - Pacers first round series during the 04-05 season. I was 3 rows away from the floor, practically courtside (dropped a few benjamins, but I really wanted to see the vantage point from the floor, and it was worth it). During the 4th quarter, it was obviously a ridiculous atmosphere. I was waving around my JO jersey, and had my Jack jersey on. During a stoppage in play, he saw me and nodded. Then, about 10 seconds later, he looked at me again, so I pointed to the "1" on my jersey, and he winked. Basically, you could tell he was happy to see a Pacers fan right there, supporting them in a hostile environment. He was the only Pacer to flat-out acknowledge me the entire game. I'll always appreciate that - when your favorite athlete takes the time to show gratitude for your support.
Thanks for your tenure, Jack, on behalf of perhaps your absolute biggest fan. Good luck in Golden State (my new second favorite team obviously).
Remember... JACK > YOU.
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