SNOWFLAKE

Phil Jackson Says He Can’t Stand Basketball ‘Catering’ to Racial Justice Protests

Jackson claimed the NBA got too political when it painted “Black Lives Matter” on the courts at its quarantine bubble in Orlando.

Legendary former NBA coach Phil Jackson says he stopped watching professional basketball in 2020 because he couldn’t stand the protests by players for racial justice. In a podcast interview with Rick Rubin, Jackson claimed the NBA had done something “wanky” when it decided to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the courts at its quarantine bubble in Orlando and allow players to put social justice slogans on the backs of their jerseys. This was apparently too much for the man who led the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s, who claimed, “People want to see sports as non-political. Politics stays out of the game; it doesn't need to be there.” He said he “couldn’t watch” it anymore after that, accusing the NBA of “catering” to a “certain audience.” As one can imagine, his remarks set off a firestorm of gifs on Twitter, with users using everything from Interstellar to The Sopranos to mock Jackson’s reaction to seeing the league “support black people.” Other users pointed to a history of problematic remarks from Jackson, including calling LeBron James’ business partners his “posse” in 2016.