A lot has been made over the NBA free agency moves this summer. From people speaking out against Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors to players signing max contracts for enormous amounts of money, numerous sports figures have emerged and shared their opinions on the matter.
The most recent to share their thoughts is former Warrior Stephen Jackson, who played four seasons with Golden State. Amidst all the free agent signings, Jackson expressed interest in returning to the NBA after sitting out the past two seasons. In an interview with Hoops Hype, Jackson claims he still has what it takes to play in the NBA at age 38 and current players have reached out to him to play. He says he spoke with Steve Kerr but nothing came out of those talks.
Jackson defended Durant’s decision to sign with the Warriors, but he sounded off on some others who he feels value money over winning.
“There’s a lot of guys in the NBA right now that are making money but they really don’t care if they win or lose as long as they are getting the paycheck and I’ve never been like that,” Jackson said in the interview. “That’s the sad part of the NBA right now, that there are some players that are making a lot of money but they don’t really care about winning games and bringing the championship or a winning season to the organization, and that’s what the fans are complaining about. And that’s why a lot of fans want me back in the game. Because they know I appreciate the game, I’m not just there to get a paycheck.”
In Jackson’s last full season in the NBA, he averaged 6.2 points per game in 19.5 minutes. With just under three months until the NBA season gets underway and most rosters full, Jackson will have a tough sell convincing a team he is worthy of another shot.