Reggie Miller takes on Stephen Jackson
The ex-Pacer does not like what he sees.
Reggie Miller. Most hated player in the league turned classy elder statesman. After certain members of the Indiana Pacers were nearly run over with a car and responded by firing gunshots in the air, Reggie comes back at his ex-teammates smoking.
“That is a black cloud. That is a punch in the gut for Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird.”
Loyalty to the Pacers from Reg. We should expect that from someone who spent his entire career with one orgnization. And his other quote.
“You shouldn’t stand behind a player that is someone slapping you guys in the face during the middle of training camp being out at a strip club at 3 o’clock in the morning shooting it up like it’s the Wild, Wild West.”
The Wild, Wild, West line is good for a chuckle. I was just watching Tombstone on TV a few weekends ago. I would love to see the Pacers out at the OK Corral. Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like you done seen your own grave. Moving on… Reggie was on the team that rumbled in Detroit. He was wearing a suit that night, running for his life. Stephen “Whoo” Jackson was throwing crazy overhand haymakers. I can see why Mr. Miller, the esteemed broadcaster for TNT is tired of this stuff.
Sure, the whole situation is not good for the NBA’s image and the Sternbot’s vision of corporate synergy. But the Blazers have shed their image as the league’s criminal team (minus Zach’s, you know, incident). The Pacers kind of got a pass on being labeled the team that breaks the law like Iverson breaks ankles, because people just seemed to think Ron Artest was crazy and led the way. It’s fun to have a team in the league that’s a little bit out of control. Pacers fans, the Portland Trailblazers fans are looking at you and chuckling. Been there done that. Be prepared to become a punchline this season.
The NFL has the Bengals, last year had the Vikings, and back in the day had the Cowboys. MLB has Congress creating task forces and reporters going to jail. And this is why David Stern wants people talking about the new ball or going back to the old ball.
25 Responses to “Reggie Miller takes on Stephen Jackson”
Oct.10 at 12:09 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Does anyone else wonder why this is getting so much press? If the current account is true, Jackson acted in self-defence, fired his gun into the air (not at anyone) and none of the Pacers physicaly attacked anyone. Jackson has a bad rep, but he might not have done anything wrong in this situation.
I was amazed when Reggie came out and said that stuff. He isn’t on the Pacers anymore, the Pacers have stated they are behind Jackson, and Reggie is acting like a fool. Jackson stood up for Artest, Reggie ran away - who is the real team player? Who cares about his team members?
Oct.10 at 12:38 pm
rob stewart says:
Just because you stand up for a teammate doesn’t make you a team player. You should support your teammates for what is right. But sometimes in order for people to grow you have to let them go and/or not support them or their silly decisions anymore.
Oct.10 at 12:42 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Unless dude was driving a flying car at him, i cant see how busting off shots in the air is self protection.
Oct.10 at 1:32 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Dammit, this is what I was gonna write about. Although I guess I still can. Anyway, I’ve always thought Reggie was a bit of a prick, but I agree with him 10,000 percent here. Didn’t these guys have the ENTIRE offseason to be at strip clubs at 3 a.m. And why couldn’t have Jackson fired ONE shot? Wouldn’t that have been enough? Then again, I’m sure Larry Bird used to do this kind of thing all the time when he was playing.
Oct.10 at 1:33 pm
TrippleX says:
My Top 5: Nash, Dirk, AK47, Gasol, and Kobe
Oct.10 at 1:34 pm
albie1kenobi says:
i think what Reggie was ripping Whoo not for the self defense, but the fact that he put himself in that predicament to begin with. i mean, getting involved with Dino and Fingers at 3am outside a strip club during training camp? dude has a point.
Oct.10 at 1:43 pm
albie1kenobi says:
hey Russ, write about this anyway. i’d like to see what you have to say about this whole ordeal.
Pacers’ new slogan - “we keeps it real. mad real.”
Oct.10 at 2:06 pm
Marcel Mutoni says:
“Didn’t these guys have the ENTIRE offseason to be at strip clubs at 3 a.m.” Um, no. You can never have enough time for strip joint attendance at 3am. It’s just not possible.
Oct.10 at 2:19 pm
robert p says:
Whoo is one of the most ghetto dudes in the entire league.. this must be expected of him.. Reggie has something called class… Whodie does not have class.. Reggie is to Frank Sinatra as Stephen Jackson is to Paris Hilton.. there’s a good illustration for you.. Whodie isn’t good enough to be bustin off shots..
Oct.10 at 2:26 pm
Ron says:
People, let’s remember Whoo is from Texas, or as Reggie put it, “The wild, wild west.” In his home state, to bust shots in the at 3 a.m. outside of a strip club after being popped in the mouth and hit by a car is a pretty tame night out with the fellas. I think Reggie just loves being the antagonist, and he took the opportunity to ruffle a few feathers. I also think this is getting so much hype because Whoo was involved in the Malace at the Palace.
Oct.10 at 2:35 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I think it’s getting so much hype because he FIRED MULTIPLE SHOTS FROM A 9MM OUTSIDE A STRIP CLUB AT 3 AM.
Oct.10 at 3:12 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Nothing I’ve read has said that Jackson instigated the incident, attacked anyone or acted in any way that we all might act. It is totally unfair of all of you to be sh!tting on this guy. Yes he had a gun, yes he fired it into the air.
Boing - I think that demonstrating that you have a gun is a perfectly justifiable form of self-defence. He was hit by a freaking car!!! He was attacked with a lethal weapon and he responded by firing in the air, not at the driver. If anything I’m impressed by WOOOOO’s self-control. For all those who are b!tching about him being at a strip club at 3am during training camp - why is that important? What the man does with his free time is nobody’s buisness as long as it is legal. Jackson hasn’t been charged, so it was legal. Kobe didn’t get this kind of hate when he “might” have raped a girl. Billups same thing. Kidd barely got mentioned when he beat his wife… Jackson didn’t do anything wrong. The only reason this is news is because he is “thugged out” and was involved in the detroit brawl…
Oct.10 at 3:18 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Russ - so if he only fired 1 shot this would be ok? If he was at the supermarket instead of a strip club would this be ok? If it was a bow and arrow instead of a 9mm this would be ok? If the car had been going faster and broke his legs first would this be ok?
Oct.10 at 3:19 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
if it was 2pm it would be ok?
Oct.10 at 3:19 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
The strangest part of this whole saga to me is that it happened right as training camp started. These guys could get together in the offseason and get into trouble. Why now? I guess they were all out of the state doing their own thing. This was a team building night, something they can’t do in the offseason. If they went to a strip club at 3 AM and then had a bad practice the next day, they would just have to run suicides and get yelled at. But something popped off, thus the whole episode and outrage.
Oct.10 at 3:36 pm
Ron says:
Where is the NRAs support of the right to bear arms when a black is being persecuted for shooting IN THE AIR? I can see B. Reeves point of self-defense, but in our world people are more talk than substance. Many people, if posed a hypothetical question of ‘If someone punched you in the mouth at a strip club, then hit you with their car when you exited the building, and you had a registered gun on you at the time, what would you do?’ would say, “I’d pop a few slugs in the fool.” Reality though is something totally different.
Oct.10 at 5:02 pm
Omar says:
Reggie’s corny. If i was at the Palace the night of the big rumble, i would’ve laid Reggie out like Sam’s mother lays out his underwear every morning. I personally think Stephen is filling the gap that Ron Ron left. Somebody gotta be the gangsta on that team. Might as well be the 6th Jackson.
Oct.10 at 5:27 pm
Darksaber says:
All i can add to your various opinions of the Jailpacers is 1 thing, and it regards Killer Miller. “Che-ryl, Che-ryl”!!
Oct.10 at 5:36 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Omar, if you were at the Palace that night you would have been crying like Jim Gray.
Hmmmm… do I respond to momma joke with momma joke like I’m on some Valderramma show on MTV? Going against my instincts, but no.
Oct.10 at 5:50 pm
Darksaber says:
Lost in all this is the fact that we should be happy noone got seriously hurt or worse. In an era where the world has lost great athletes like Hank Gathers, Reggie Lewis, Bobby Phills, and Malik Sealy (amongst others) there really is nothing to laugh at when young overconfident zillionaires get into altercations with Joe everbody. Sadly, even during his San Antonio days, “Whoo” did not strike me as an entirely stable baller. Leave it on the court Stephen.
Oct.11 at 11:55 am
The P.I.A.B. says:
When you leave out Len Bias, you make all of us at perkisabest very very sad.
Oct.11 at 1:50 pm
MD Shuai says:
Reggie’s carreer was interesting to me. I always hated him, and everone always hated him cause he was a skinny, arrogant punk who was good at ball, knew it, and made sure you knew it; and then he announces he is about to retire, and everyone loves him. It seemed that way at least, I have even found myslef thinking at times, “Hey, that Reggie was a pretty nice guy after all.” How on earth did he manage that kind of a transition on a guy who stills hates shaq just becasue he used to be on the lakers?
Oct.11 at 2:01 pm
Darksaber says:
Sorry about that P.I.A.B. Already mentioned a Celtic legend, and i did not want to pour more salt on the wounds of celtic pride. My mistake.
Oct.11 at 11:32 pm
DVLb0y613 says:
After allegedly run over he got his gun from his car and fired shots, is that how it went? What’s up with that?! he could’ve just got in the car and left, the guys that were after him would’ve gone with the car anyway..
Oct.30 at 8:09 pm
» Lunch with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson - SLAM Online says:
[…] On Reggie Miller’s comments about Stephen Jackson and the Pacers… CB: “You can’t be going around shooting at people? What the hell are you supposed to say? Reggie was 100-percent correct. You have to criticize a guy who was out shooting at people. If the Pacers got mad or Stephen Jackson got mad, too bad. What was Reggie supposed to say?” KS: “You can’t question a player’s heart. For instance, I can’t say Kobe Bryant has no heart. To me, that’s an asinine statement, because heart is something you can’t measure. I could say Kobe’s not getting back on defense, and then pull out the tape and show you that you’re not getting back on defense.” […]