Hall of Fame NBA coach Phil Jackson said over the weekend that he isn’t paying attention to today’s game for a specific reason, and Metta Sandiford-Artest has an opinion on why that is.
Jackson told the “Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin” podcast that he hasn’t watched the NBA since the bubble happened during the 2019-20 season in Orlando.
“They did something that was kind of wonky,” Jackson admitted.
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Phil Jackson of the New York Knicks during the NBA Draft Combine Day 2 at the Quest Multisport Center on May 12, 2017, in Chicago. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
What exactly did they do? Jackson didn’t necessarily like seeing the words “Equality,” “Justice,” and others on the back of the players’ jerseys.
Of course, this was a time of social unrest in the country due to the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter movement. The NBA and its players wished to make a statement when they returned to play in the bubble.
“They had things on their backs like ‘Justice.’ I made a little funny thing like, ‘Justice just went to the basket and Equal Opportunity just knocked him down.’… So, my grandkids thought that was pretty funny to play up those names. So, I couldn’t watch that,” Jackson said.
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Sandiford-Artest, formally known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace for a time, told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson that he believes Jackson’s comments could be due to a lack of communication, or not understanding other’s perspectives.
“Nobody’s coming with any programs to bring people together. It’s all political,” Sandiford-Artest said.
“Keep in mind, I’m not a politician. I’m from Queensbridge but I think people don’t really understand the trauma.”
Metta World Peace of the Lakers points to a teammate during the Clippers game on April 6, 2016, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
In 2020, there was much confusion, with the COVID-19 pandemic starting in March. But the bubble in the NBA was a hot topic because many players simply did not feel comfortable returning to play with the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement being top priorities.
Sandiford-Artest explained further.
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“This is locker room talk, barber shop talk, grocery store talk, especially with George Floyd with Black Lives Matter, right? And so from that perspective everybody’s so helpless,” he said. “I did even though I’m not going to take my political stance but I did feel helpless. I felt helpless and confused. I definitely wanted to do something about it but I felt like our people didn’t have a voice. So people and the athletes do it and have their views but when people say things, people have to be a little more direct — is it the players or is it the executives? Who are you targeting because once again, the players are going to have to say something first. I’m a former player. I say that because there has to be balance.
“How do you bring two groups together? Like these people don’t get it [politicians] and they don’t talk about the right things. You gotta dig into it and also you have to create balance and that’s the thing and you can’t be in it trying to make a quick buck – there’s no programs and the culture is like… where’s the culture at? Like where is it? The holidays are great but with some holidays, you gotta bring these people together, you know what I’m sayin’? You need gatherings and without that it’s always going to be confusing; it’s always going to be some type of imbalance as a country as people focus on balance. And it’s always going to be like that.”
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson walks off the court after being swept by the Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals in Dallas. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Sandiford-Artest played 17 NBA seasons, collecting one All-Star bid, one NBA title in 2010 and four All-Defensive Team awards. He played under Jackson in his final two years as Lakers head coach in what was an illustrious career that included 11 titles – six with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Lakers – as well as a 1,155-485 record.
