Whooo!
Stephen Jackson shoots his way out of trouble. Well, sort of.
I don’t think there are enough gangstas in the world to assess Stephen Jackson. Omar could use all the dudes from The Sopranos, GoodFellas, Menace II Society, The Untouchables, and all of the guys on Death Row Records from 1996 including Suge Knight and STILL come up short. Way short.
It’s hard to gangsta-quantify the L, but I put “Whoo!” up there in the top five—along with Zach Randolph, Ron Artest and Marquis Daniels (leaving one spot open for the thug of the week—Robert Swift?). (And given that Daniels and Jackson are Pacers, Artest was, and Zach is from Indy, should someone be checking the water?) Even before he decided to set off the shootout at Club Rio (remind me not to go there), Jax was always a little outside the NBA box. He followed a circuitous route to the L following an All-American high school career at Lincoln (Port Arthur, TX) and Oak Hill. He played pro ball in Australia and Venezuela, the DR and the CBA, before finally breaking in with the Nets in 2001. After years of living from paycheck to paycheck, he spent his NBA dollars on essentials like diamond and platinum fronts and out-there suits.
His game, though, that was never really in question. He bounced from team-to-team before landing with the Pacers, but it was mostly from GOOD team to good team—the Nets, the Spurs, the (um) Hawks. His teammates included Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan and Reggie Miller, good guys all. He had plenty of wings to be taken under.
But given his long and winding path to the L—one which he traversed on his own—Jax came with a major dose of self-sufficiency. He made it on his own terms, and dammit, that’s how he was gonna do now that he was here, whether than meant trading his mouthpiece for his custom fronts right at the end of the game, or, say, defending a teammate by running into the stands like Mike Tyson circa 1986.
And now comes the Club Rio story—a 3 a.m. strip club dispute that spills outside, and ends with Jax getting hit by a car and firing five shots into the air from his (legal) 9mm. No one is seriously hurt or killed (thank God), but that’s about the only positive. The Pacers look bad (again) and Reggie Miller comes out of the woodwork to call out his former teammates.
Now, Reggie and I never really saw eye-to-eye when he was playing—he pretty much hated SLAM, and we pretty much hated him (tempered somewhat with grudging admiration for his ridiculous practice habits)—but this time, I agree with him 100 percent. I don’t care whose fault the brawl was, Jax was at fault for putting himself in that situation to begin with. And, as one of the Pacer’s vets, he has a little more responsibilty to his younger teammates to set a good example. Reggie “Out Shooting Three Hours Before Game Time” Miller knows that all too well. You wouldn’t have caught him popping off rounds outside a strip club at 3 a.m. Hell, that’s a situation that Artest himself probably would have avoided. (Michael Jordan might have been there, but he would have been in a back room with 18 blondes and Charles Oakley.)
Instead, Jax was there with teammates Daniels (surprise!), Jamaal Tinsley and Jimmie Hunter, spending some quality time with the ladies. Which, in itself isn’t a crime or anything, just a tremendously bad judgement call. Firing the shots into the air—well, maybe that wasn’t a crime either, but it probably should be. Five shots? Five? Just to warn somebody off? You’d think one would have done the trick. I’d only need to hear one, that’s for sure.
Anyway, no one got seriously hurt or killed—this time. But you had three high-profile athletes (sorry Jimmie, even I barely know who YOU are) out at 3 a.m. with guns (all legal, but still) in a tense situation. Call me a killjoy, but maybe the best thing to do is to stay out of situations like that in the first place. Think!
35 Responses to “Whooo!”
Oct.10 at 4:25 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Why don’t you make a list of all the LEGAL things pro-athletes with bad public images are not allowed to do and send it off to each pro league. You seem so hung-up on the number of shots fired, why? In the heat of the moment who knows what was going through Jackson’s head. He was smart enough not to shoot at anyone. You make it seem as though if it had been one shot it would all be ok. What is it that bothers you about this? The location? The time? The number of shots? The number of other Pacers with him? You don’t know if he instigated anything, but you assume that he should have seen it coming. Maybe it wasn’t his fault - the point is that we don’t know all the facts and you’re condemning him already. Shooting into the air is dumb (shooting at all is dumb). But this guy was just assaulted and hit by a car. Give him a little credit.
Oct.10 at 4:25 pm
Cheryl says:
I agree, and also want to point out something none of the media has mentioned so far: shooting a gun in the air is NOT the safe thing to do either. Bullets go up AND come back down (!) at a velocity powerful enough to injure and kill. Whoo! is lucky, extremely lucky, that no one was hurt. Damn.
Oct.10 at 4:30 pm
Cheryl says:
And Bryant, though hanging out at a strip club at 3am is legal, it don’t make it the right thing to do. As high profile athletes, these guys are easy targets for haters that what to start shit so they can sue and get paid. At some point the Whoo’s of the NBA are gonna have to face that some of their ability to hang out anonymously is over. Just the price you pay for getting paid.
Oct.10 at 4:38 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Cheryl - The reality is that neither you nor Russ gets to decide what “the right thing to do” is for other people. I don’t know why the whole stripclub thing is important at all. If this happened at a public library or a bar would it change anything? The facts, as we know them, are that Jackson was punched in the mouth, then hit by a car as he left. He apparently acted in self-defence and shot into the air. That was dumb, but he was only protecting himself. The whole stripclub thing is irrelevant as far as I’m concerned.
Oct.10 at 4:45 pm
steve p says:
i give him no credit at all. give me a break. just because he didnt necessarily commit a crime doesent entitle him to sympathy in this situation. is he really giving the pacers organization the commitment he should be to justify his salary when hes out ANYWHERE at 3 am during training camp? im tired of athletes like ron artest claiming that they could win mvp or average 30 points a game if they gave it their full effort. i sat and watched my favourite team get basically nothing in return for vince carter because he decided he wasent going to put in any effort anymore. then to make matters worse there was the whole alonzo buyout. how hard is it to be profesional when your being compensated as well as these guys are? good job stephen jackson you didnt technically break the law! give him a raise.
Oct.10 at 4:58 pm
Omar says:
Stephen’s a thug. Let him be. Remember what he did to that Pistons fan at the palace? “Two G’s worth of stitches to reconstruct your face and learn how to speak again….”
Oct.10 at 5:13 pm
albie1kenobi says:
hmm…yeah the fact that he was at a stripclub IS relevant because i highly doubt Whoo would get into any sort of argument/confrontation at a library or a supermarket. (they probably won’t be open at 3am either, but that’s besides the point) and when you make 5 mil (2 mil after tax), you can afford to party it up every night at your own freaking house. better yet, turn your own house in to a strip joint and have plenty of bouncers to deal with anyone who’s not welcomed. simply no excuse for getting himself into this mess.
Oct.10 at 5:14 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Bryant, if this had happened at a public library, yes it would change things: it would have been even more gangsta.
Oct.10 at 5:15 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
I don’t see why Reggie and Russ are being so uptight about this. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time doing something stupid, but nobody got seriously hurt and the guilty party - who tried to kill someone with a car - is going to jail.
Oct.10 at 6:02 pm
Dblizzy says:
Yeah Bryant, I’m gonna back you on this. I think it’s very easy for us to sit and criticize athletes because they get paid lots of money, but the fact of the matter is that they are regular people. You can never judge someone until you’re in the same exact circumstances as them. Most people might have pannicked and shot the car up, but he was composed enough to send some warning shots up. And the whole thing about it being 3 am and training camp is bullshit. I loved Reggie as a player but fuck him right now. Just because Stephen Jackson is not at the arena at 3am working on his shot doesn’t make him a bad person. How many of us went to a party or out drinking with friends or to a shaky butt club, knowing that we had to go to work the next day. Let’s be real, everyone claims that if they were in the NBA they would stay home and just work on their game, and rent movies, but how do you really know?
Oct.10 at 6:30 pm
albie1kenobi says:
honestly i think the worst thing about this ordeal was the public image of NBA is shot again. to a casual sports fan this is another incident that make him/her go, “look at these up-to-no-good gangbangers, i’m staying the hell away from the NBA”.
i personally think Whoo is mad gangsta (in a good way) for doing this. hilarious, even. but i don’t wanna see our beloved NBA getting more bad rep.
Oct.10 at 6:32 pm
chronically_ill says:
Going to a titty bar at 3 AM isnt a crime or anything. But why did he have to fight? He couldnt have just said “whatever, dude” to whoever was bothering him and just walk away?
Oct.10 at 6:38 pm
chronically_ill says:
and i agree with steve p in that pro athletes have a responsibility to fulfill their contractual obligations to their employers by showing up to work and balling. getting paid 15 million dollars a year (or even 1 million dollars a year) should be enough compensation to at least show up to work, no matter how crappy your team is or whatever. but off the court, they could do whatever they want, as long as they dont hurt people and try to act like they’re above the law.
Oct.10 at 6:54 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
chronic - he couldn’t really just walk away. THE GUY HIT HIM WITH HIS CAR!!! Whoo! might be fast, but come on…
Oct.10 at 6:58 pm
albie1kenobi says:
just saw this on the news report:
“Officers said they found a small amount of marijuana in the passenger-side door of point guard Tinsley’s car. But no arrests were made because there were three others in Tinsley’s car and police could not determine who had the marijuana, authorities said.”
that would never happen to everyday people. the cops would just arrest everyone.
Oct.10 at 10:31 pm
GoodRiddance says:
jax shot it up too far.
Oct.10 at 10:47 pm
Alan Paul says:
Yo Sam, Bryant and all you other knuckleads defending King Knucklehead… ignoring the ehtics, morals, whatever, the dude is getting paid MILLIONS of FF’In dollars to ball… they are in training camp. he shouldn’t be out partying anywhere at 3 am. it’s a dereliction of duty, totally irresponsible. I can’t believe teams can’t cut these losers and have to keep paying them no matter how disreputable they act. Russ is spot on.
Oct.10 at 11:20 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Hey Alan, how are the strip clubs in China?
Oct.10 at 11:23 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Alan - if it is just about being out until 3 AM then why is everyone sh!tting on Jackson and forget about the other 3 Pacers there. If the only problem is the 3 AM nonsense, then why all the interest? Why not just let the Pacers (his employer) deal with it?
Oct.11 at 2:22 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I’m not forgetting about the other three Pacers——I think they’re all idiots. Jax just gets the most grief from me because a) he’s the oldest, b) he’s making the most money, and c) he’s the vet who’s supposed to be setting an example. I feel the same way about this as I do when a guy’s busted for smoking weed, or for driving while piss drunk——why not wait until you retire to do all that dumb stuff? Is it really worth risking your multi-million dollar contract because you want to act a fool? Wait until you’re 40, then smoke weed 24-7. Sure, dude who punched Jax in the face was probably even more in the wrong, but as a PROFESSIONAL (even if it’s just as a basketball player), Jax and them should have the sense to stay away from situations like that in the first place. Nothing good ever happens at a strip club at 3 a.m. Jax and them represent the Pacers, and all of Indiana, every time they go somewhere. Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird, Rick Carlisle and the rest of the players deserve better. Although yeah, I’m sure the same sort of thing would have happened in a supermarket or library. I mean, I bring my gun to those places all the time.
Oct.11 at 2:24 am
Russ Bengtson says:
And I agree about cutting guys——if I were a billionaire owner, I’d do exactly that.
Oct.11 at 2:39 am
Froggiestyle says:
Hey, after a long day of dealin with froggies all day, I sometimes feel the need to just go out and bust a cap or two to let off some steam. Me n Jax that’s just how we roll.
Oct.11 at 4:43 am
Alan Paul says:
Ryan, No strip clubs in China but they’re coming soon I’m sure. I guess if I were gangsta I’d be invited into some underground joint but you know… all those guys are idiots, Bryant.. Jamaal is well known as such.. It’s not just about being out at 3 am but that is certainly the key thing to me.. you end up in a strip club at 3 am, the odds of bad sh*t happening go way up. And if these guys are really in places where they need protection they should hire bodyguards not pack heat. it is kind of baffling and ironic that Larry B seems to be attracted to these guys.
Oct.11 at 8:38 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
chronicall ill, I’m with you on this. Being a professional means they are ready to work when it’s worktime. What do we really know about Stepehen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, and the other guy? Only what they choose to tell the media about themselves when their agents have arranged media conversations with them. Maybe those guys can stay out late, wake up and be ready to play basketball. What they do away from work should be their business. If no violence popped off, then we would never hear about this incident. You think these are the only 4 players in the NBA that were out at a strip club that night? Stephen Jackson just has a way of finding trouble or trouble finding him.
Oct.11 at 11:51 am
The P.I.A.B. says:
We just love the image of afeaked out and slightly buzzed SJ blasting bullets in the air cause some fool at the strip club just tried to run his ass over - now, if SJ just spent some more time with the Sensei Perk, learning how to chill like a squirrel, maybe he’d not need so much sweaty, man-pawed ass in his face, at least not while he was drinking…
Oct.11 at 11:53 am
The P.I.A.B. says:
Being a Professional is doing a phone interview at 7:55am on a Sunday morning on the way to the gym…
Oct.11 at 12:43 pm
michael says:
i think he did the right thing i mean he was proablly chillin and some nuckle head wanna try and make a name for his self get stupid i would have did the same thing
Oct.11 at 12:53 pm
MD Shuai says:
As for Larry Bird being strangely drawn to these kind of players: Charles Barkely said that Bird was a “beer drinking buddy;” whose to say he wasn’t similar to all of them? He just managed to be smart enough to stay out of trouble. And while yeah, it’s their life they can do what they want, etc; I think the representation is the most important thing. they represent the Indiana Pacers, and thereby the entire city. When you sign the contract to take that responsability upon yourself, some of your personal freedom goes out the window to make room for millions and millions of dollars. In the end, is it really such a bad trade? The problem is that sometimes you get in the the league for a while, you forget about it, and sometimes it comes back to haunt you…or try to run you over outside of stipclub at 3 A.M. Whose to say that wasn’t the first time they had done so? Also, I can’t say how many other NBA players were out at strip clubs the same night, but I but I can tell you how many were out the next night.
Oct.11 at 1:00 pm
Jamison says:
I agree with Russ. More importantly, whose hand is that on Jax’s shoulder???
Oct.11 at 1:36 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’m not positive, but it’s probably The Man trying to hold him down.
Oct.11 at 2:05 pm
Jamison says:
I thought it might be his Club Rio Rival… Fingers.
Oct.11 at 4:29 pm
albie1kenobi says:
seems like there’s new development: Jackson charged with criminal recklessness.
“Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness,” Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said. “Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 miles per hour, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone’s life.”
Oct.11 at 8:40 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
“Officials have said the Pacers involved in the incident were victims, and none were charged.”
Oct.11 at 10:53 pm
reeder says:
Anyone who sits here and defends Steven Jackson is ignorant.First of all this man makes over 5 mill a year that is incentive enough to keep your dumb ass out of the strip club. Second if you are in the public eye every little thing you do is going to be scrutinized so why put yourself in that position. This jackass needs to grow up and accept the responsibilities of wealth which i’m sure isn’t very hard if you try!!!
Oct.12 at 5:19 am
Santtu says:
I don’t care where he was. It’s somehow very American that everyone’s arguing about him being out late (dereliction of duty) and being at a strip club (latent moralism), when, in fact, we should be asking why the hell he was packing. Now that the police report has leaked, we know that Whoo! fired his piece before he was run over as well as after. In fact, it seems that the whole thing may have started with him and his buddies bullying a handicapped guy. But that is almost beside the point. The point is: no gun, no big brouhaha. If you, an NBA star, really feel that threatened, maybe you shouldn’t be going to those kinds of places, or maybe you should hire a pro bodyguard (God knows you can afford it). But perhaps you don’t actually feel threatened and are carrying only because it seems cool in that juvenile way…