“Made Millions Off their Back”: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Scottie Pippen Thrown Into Phil Jackson Drama by Ex-NBA Star

13x NBA Champion Phil Jackson has been facing heat from the hoops community since his controversial take on the league. Jackson is arguably the most successful coach in NBA history, training legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Scottie Pippen, among many others. However, the recent issue took center stage when a former NBA star, who has been very critical in the past, hit back at Jackson through a video message on social media.

The Zen Master coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers in his 22-year-long coaching career. He ended his long-standing coaching stint in 2011. Since then, the legendary coach had been off the media attention until the release of the docuseries, The Last Dance, in 2020. And now, he has again attracted the attention of the media by criticizing the NBA for its political stance.

Phil Jackson faces heat from Ex-NBA star

In a recent podcast episode of Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin, Phil Jackson spoke extensively about his journey in the NBA. However, during one of the segments, he made a controversial statement. Jackson revealed that he stopped watching the NBA since the bubble. He reasoned that he didn’t like the politics involved in the league during the bubble.

In response to his statement, former Bulls star, Jalen Rose, posted a video message addressing Phil Jackson’s statement. Rose started his message by mentioning the fact that Jackson is one of the greatest coaches of all time. However, he wasn’t appreciative of his recent comments.

He added, “The same Phil Jackson that won championships with some of the greatest black athletes… Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, made millions on their backs.”

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Rose continued, “You’re sitting and watching the game with grandkids and y’all think it’s funny when justice passes the ball to equal opportunity.” He further insisted Jackson stop watching the game if he didn’t support it.

This isn’t the first time where Rose had made a bold statement against an NBA personality. He had lashed out at Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons some time back.

Jalen Rose’s sly dig at Ben Simmons

The former Bulls star has always put forward his opinions ever since he started his stint as an NBA analyst. At the beginning of this year, he made a harsh comment on the Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons. Rose criticized the star for his underperformance in the absence of Kevin Durant, who missed several games due to an injury. He accused Simmons of stealing money from the Nets.

He said, “Ben Simmons is stealing money [from the Nets], ski mask, and gloves.” Eventually, the Nets suffered a massive downfall since the departure of Kyrie Irving and Durant. The Philadelphia 76ers eliminated the Nets with a clean sweep in the first round.

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What do you make of Phil Jackson’s controversial take on the NBA’s political stance? Let us know in the comments below.