Credit: NBA.com
The Toil Return of Captain Jack
14-year NBA veteran Stephen Jackson was once an above average forward who could average fifteen-to-twenty points a night for a team during his prime, then became a key role player during the latter years of his career. Now 38 years old, the one-time NBA champion is attempting a comeback. According to his daily Instagram videos, ‘Captain Jack’ says he’s feeling “better than ever” and seems to be working everyday to make his return; Jackson last played in the league during January of 2014 before becoming an analyst for ESPN.
Whether Stephen Jackson’s return is for the money or the success he thinks he may have, he is all in for his comeback, sternly claiming “I will back in the NBA this season.” ‘Captain Jack’ is already being recruited. By who, you may ask? Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo of the Chicago Bulls have been in contact with Jackson, as well as Golden State Warriors head coach and former teammate Steve Kerr.
“Jimmy [Butler] has been calling me. We’ve been talking for like three months now. Even [Rajon] Rondo has been calling me, they really want me on the [Chicago] Bulls team,”Jackson recently told HoopsHype. “I’ve been talking to a lot of guys, because guys know what I bring. There’s not many guys like me. There’s probably one or two guys in the NBA like me that can play both ways and don’t mind really shutting the guy down,” Jackson said. “I’m a winner, I’ve been in the playoffs many years. Guys know I’m a great teammate, Tim Duncan called me the ultimate teammate. I know how to play good for the guy next to me. I’m getting calls and I will be ready and that’s the biggest part,” he finished.
As does Chicago, Golden State remains an option for the 38-year-old veteran who still feels he could compete at the highest level.
“Well, I spoke to Steve Kerr, who is a great friend of mine. We won a championship together in 2003 and he’s seen videos of me working out, he’s seen videos of me playing,” Jackson said. “[Kerr] knows how I approach the game, that I play with great passion. So he knows I can still play. I haven’t agreed to do anything with Golden State. My thing is that I’m not really trying out for anybody. I know how to play the game, I know what I bring. I’m just waiting for the right situation where somebody knows that I’ve played for a long time, that I am a champion,” Jackson ended.
Though returning to Golden State, or even making an NBA team may be a long shot, Jackson could still shoot the ball. A career 33% three-point shooter, he could play decent minutes off the bench, knockdown a three-ball here and there, and provide veteran leadership to the young up-and-comers of any team. Bringing on a 38-year-old may be risky, but has some benefit.
“I just want to let everybody know that I will be back in the NBA this year,” Jackson said. “I can’t say exactly what’s going on right now, because you know, people try to run with stuff and everything’s not locked in yet, but I will be back in the NBA this year. So to everybody that’s been supporting me, praying for me, I appreciate it. The haters, I appreciate ya’ll too, because ya’ll motivated me to prove ya’ll wrong.”
Stephen Jackson has career averages of 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2013-14 season, where he played just nine games and averaged 1.7 points in 11.9 minutes. His last productive season was in 2012-2013, where he averaged 6.2 points in 55 games.
