Rich Kleiman, manager and business partner of Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, shared an image of former New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson on Twitter this afternoon, likely in an attempt to petition for the Manhattan franchise to hire the ex-Golden State Warriors head coach for their vacant position.
— Ace (@richkleiman) December 6, 2019
Kleiman has been a fan of the Knicks from childhood, which fueled speculations that Durant would sign with New York last offseason. Instead, the two-time NBA champion signed with the Net — New York's crosstown rival.
The Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale on Friday afternoon just a quarter of a season into his second year with the franchise.
Jackson, meanwhile, is a broadcaster for ESPN's NBA telecast. He coached the Warriors for three seasons before being canned and replaced with Steve Kerr, who went on to win three championships coaching Golden State in this decade.
Jackson was selected by the Knicks with the 18th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. He went on to earn the Rookie of the Year award in 1988. Jackson was likely a fan favorite of Kleiman growing up rooting for New York.
Jackson was criticized in his exit from the Bay Area for conflicts with Warriors management; however, he was praised in memoriam following his firing for helping develop players like Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes.
Without Jackson at the helm for Golden State, Kerr may never have inherited the caliber of roster from the start, which instantly made the Warriors a title contender, too.
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