“Same mistakes over and over… I’m tired of it. I’ve been for a while.” Scott Byron’s words for Stephen Jackson back in 2001 perfectly sum up the situation between Jackson and the then-New Jersey Nets coach. While Stak might’ve not been too vocal about it back then, he later didn’t spare Scott in his interviews for allegedly making him suffer as a rookie. Yep, by 2001, Jackson was moved to the bench and his playing time continued to shrink. It seems, however, that both the parties involved are now ready to bury the hatchet.

“I could have handled it a lot better. But I was young as sh*t too… I was my first year coaching… 36 years old as a head coach,” Scott said in the promo for an upcoming episode of All the Smoke. The discussion in the promo started in reference to Jackson’s previous comments against Scott.

A clip from episode 2 of All the Smoke had Jackson stating Scott stopped playing him after the Rookie All-Star game. “Nobody knows why to this day. He just stopped playing me. And that’s how my rookie year ended,” he had said.

Wondering why Jackson didn’t clear it out? Well, Stak stated things would not have gone like they should have. And when Matt Barnes playfully interjected if Stephen Jackson would’ve Sprewell’d him, the former New Jersey star didn’t mince words. “I’m not gonna Sprewell him. I’m not a choker. I got hands,” he said.

For those unaware, the incident in reference is one where Latrell Sprewell choked his Golden State Warriors coach PJ Carlesimo. The outcome? Initial 10-game suspension for Sprewell which was followed by a $23.7 million three-year contract being declared void. And a year-long ban from the league. It’s said to be one of the harshest penalties in NBA history.

The fact Stephen Jackson believes things could’ve gotten worse with Byron Scott reflects how hard he resisted the 3x NBA champ back then. No wonder he didn’t miss the chance to take shots at Byron when the 3x NBA champ held the position of Los Angeles Lakers head coach.

“D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, do not pay attention to Byron Scott… I would not advise a young player to even listen to Scott because he is the worst coach at communicating with young guys, and I’m living proof,” Jackson had said. This came from Stak in response to Scott’s comments that Russell needed to “grow up” about his reaction when he’s taken out of games.

Byron Scott was quite open about his issues with Jackson

Scott has never been one to sugarcoat things. And back in 2001, he made his frustrations with Stephen Jackson loud and clear. Imagine being a rookie, securing not just a roster spot but a starting position with the New Jersey Nets, only to find yourself slipping down the depth chart just as fast. That was Jackson’s reality, and Scott wasn’t exactly patient with his growing pains.

The issue? According to Scott, Jack was too focused on offense and kept making the same mistakes. Ones the coach had clearly run out of tolerance for.

Right before a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, Scott didn’t hold back, saying, “I’m at the point where I don’t feel real comfortable with Stevie in there because he’s not doing what I feel he should be doing on both ends of the floor.” Instead of waiting for Jackson to figure things out, Scott opted for a more reliable rotation. “I’m going to stick with the guys who’ve been playing well. Bringing in Sherman [Douglas] and Aaron [Williams] and Johnny [Newman] off the bench has been a better rotation with the other five guys.” 

It’s clear things were heated up from both ends. With time, however, it seems both Byron Scott and Stephen Jackson have found ways to make their peace with each other.