Phil Jackson Stopped Watching NBA Because of BLM Slogans in 2020

Phil Jackson says he hasn’t watched the NBA since 2020 — when it went into the bubble for the playoffs and publicly supported Black Lives Matter … a step too far for him, it appears.

The enduring head coach — who’s obtained 11 championships underneath his belt from the ’90s by means of the early 2010s between the Bulls and Lakers — sat down with Rick Rubin earlier this month for a podcast … which is making the rounds now ‘explanation for what Phil needed to say.

Test it out for your self … Rick asks Phil if he watches NBA basketball to at the present time within the wake of retiring in 2011, and Phil says he stored his eyes on the sport solely by means of 2020.

When requested why, Phil says the NBA did one thing “wanky” whereas in Orlando — particularly, getting blended up in politics with a bunch of slogans on the court docket and on the jerseys of the gamers themselves. He by no means says “BLM” … however there is no doubt that is what he is speaking about right here. He even kinda mocks it — saying he joked about it from residence together with his household.

Phil says guys would have phrases like “Justice” plastered throughout their backs as a substitute of their surnames like regular … and goes on to clarify that he’d make cracks about “Justice” or so-and-so making a drive to the basket — which he says his grandkids obtained a kick out of.

Lengthy story quick … Phil thinks the NBA was pandering to a sure viewers and demographic — and their advantage signaling that 12 months turned lots of people off … together with himself. He says politics ought to keep out of sports activities, and that people do not wanna see ’em mesh.

Phil cites athletes who’ve gone on to have political careers — the implication being … should you wanna pursue that, do it off the court docket and outdoors of the league. BTW, Rubin did a superb job urgent Phil on what precisely bothered him in regards to the BLM stuff … and he responded clearly.

Now, as you possibly can think about … Phil’s getting ripped a brand new one on Twitter — as that is coming as information to lots of people who thought the dude was an unproblematic genius of basketball.

His resume nonetheless speaks for itself, little doubt, however he is getting a helluva lot of side-eye now after these feedback — and also you gotta surprise what a few of his best former gamers — lots of whom have been Black — may need to say about this.