Finally got the scoop from #AndreIguodala about #MarkJackson being blackballed from coaching pic.twitter.com/1ISJKwFKQN
— The Breakfast Club (@breakfastclubam) June 25, 2019
Mark Jackson’s head coaching tenure with the Warriors may go down as one of the most curious in the history of the NBA. Jackson coached Golden State for three years from 2011-2014, his first and only NBA coaching job. Jackson was fired by the organization after back-to-back winning seasons, the last of which saw the team win 51 games and improve on their record from the previous year.
Jackson hasn’t coached since, and many have speculated that internal issues with the Warriors led not only to his firing, but hurt his standing around the league.
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, who played under Jackson for one season, went a step further when he joined The Breakfast Club radio show on Tuesday morning. He believes Jackson is being blackballed by the league for his conservative beliefs on issues related to gender and sexuality.
“We were huge fans of Mark, the players. He was the ultimate players’ coach,” Iguodala said. “… He was one of my favorite coaches of all time. … He was going to put you in the best position to get the most money.
“One particular issue, what I heard, was his views on gender, or marriage, or what the Bible said on your sexuality. Our head of our business, he just went into the Hall of Fame, he was the brains behind All-Star Weekend…Rick Welts, genius at business. He’s celebrated as one of the top execs in sports on the business side and he’s gay. So there was conflicts with that that was widespread. Everyone was talking about that.”
Does Iguodala believe Jackson is being blackballed?
“I do, yes. Absolutely.”
Iguodala seemed to have mixed feelings on the idea of a person being excommunicated for their personal beliefs, regardless of if they reflect the mainstream sensibilities.
“It’s interesting, someone mentioned it to me: People can express themselves, are you allowed to express yourself that you don’t agree with it. You should accept it, because we all accept each other, but it’s like we are all really afraid to say our beliefs. You may not believe in something but you still embrace that or you have respect for them, as long as you don’t disrespect them or judge them.”
Unrelated to his take on Jackson, Iguodala mentioned that he believes real Warriors fans have been “priced out” during this dynastic run.
Andre Iguodala: “I always say, we priced our real fans out.” pic.twitter.com/PgtW7R4GlF
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) June 25, 2019
Watch the full interview here.