“I Lost a Mom, I Lost a Dad, I Lost a Younger Brother”: Mark Jackson Revisits Painful Memories but Offers Silver Lining

“It’s not easy for anybody…,” Mark Jackson revisits one of the toughest times of his life. Notably, Jackson lost his younger brother Troy Jackson in February 2011. On a podcast episode of the Mark Jackson Show, the ex-NBA player was asked by his son, Mark Jr. (Bluu), how he coped with losing his brother.

“I lost a mom, I lost a dad, I lost a younger brother… It’ll never be easy. But we all have our date. And what I did was celebrate the moments that I had with him,” Mark replied. He further stated that he celebrated the fact that his brother could accomplish his dreams. “Obviously, you take the hit and you hurt. But the way to get over it is to think about the moments,” Jackson added.

It is worth mentioning that Troy Jackson was himself among the best-known stars of street basketball. He gained popularity by the name of ‘Escalade’. Troy was also a member of the AND1 Mixtape Tour (now the AND1 Live Tour). In fact, an article by Bleacher Report’s Ben Osborne mentioned Troy as “THE KING OF STREET BALL”. 

Jackson, in his podcast episode, expressed his gratitude for having such a brother, even if it was for a brief span of his life. Further treasuring whatever memories he has of his brother, he stated, “There’s some folks that didn’t have a baby brother. That never experienced those moments”. 

A closer look into Mark Jackson’s bond with his brother

Though the ex-New York Knicks star has stated that he lives by the mantra of treasuring the good things and taking the bad with a grain of salt, he admits that what happened does hurt. “But you move forward,” he added. This shows the love Mark carries for his brother. And the feeling was mutual between the two brothers, as per what Grayson Boucher had stated once.

Boucher was said to be Escalade’s closest friend on the AND1 Mixtape Tour. “Troy and Mark were super close friends. Talked on the phone several times a day,” he had stated. Grayson further mentioned that Troy never showed off the fact that he was Mark Jackson’s brother, as he did not want to leech off his brother’s name.   

Grayson even recollects asking Troy why he never put it out there that he is Mark’s brother. “I’m just trying to make my own way,” Boucher states as what Escalade told him. This shows that the bond between the two brothers was selfless and purely based on love for each other.

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