« Starting point guard “, this is what had written Reggie Jackson on his shoes when he was number 2 at the lead behind Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City a few years ago. From a team cohesion point of view, we have seen better. Four years after his arrival at the Thunder, Jackson was transferred to Detroit and since then things have heated up regularly during confrontations between the two former teammates. This was the case on March 3 in a Clippers-Lakers clash, after a crossover by Jackson on Westbrook and a tripping attempt by the latter on the action.
“Ah yes that was good (laughs). I understood afterwards when the public whistled, but it was more frustration, people didn’t understand how I felt. What pissed me off was that people missed the fact that when Marcus (Morris) got his big shot in (December 3rd in a win over the Lakers) he tried to trip him up, and he did one to Zu earlier in the game, and that pissed me off, because I always try to protect my teammates on the pitch, and he (Zubac) has always been a big brother.
But people don’t understand that I had a great time when I was at OKC. Russ was my biggest advocate. I know people talk about the ‘SPG’ stuff or that kind of thing. I just wish we had managed things better as a team, as an organization. We had a lot of talent. It was just frustrating. At the time, even though I was young, I saw the talent we had, but I couldn’t really manage my emotions yet. It gave a certain image of me, but really my frustration came from the fact that I saw us capable of winning titles in the future, but this prospect was moving away because of small things that we were not building, in my opinion, from the right way. » Reggie Jackson
Off the court their relationship seems to be much more friendly.
“We meet from time to time. We do pick-up games during the summer. There is no problem at all. I always wish him the best, I always tell him to say hello to his family for me. Even though we’re around the same age, he was my veteran, he taught me the ropes, took me everywhere, made me feel comfortable. I think a lot of my aggression and the way I play comes from that too, because we’re all a product of our environment. I will always be grateful for everything he did for me during my career. He raised me and prepared me for what it was going to be like to be a starter in the NBA and take the hits, ups and downs, with confidence. But when you find yourself on the field it’s competition, there are no more friends (smile). » Reggie Jackson
via The Athletic