Former Golden State Warriors wing Stephen Jackson took part in the team's “We Believe” night at Oracle Arena and left some stiff-punched comments on where the NBA and its players are today in an era of player control:
“I love the fact that players have control of where they want to play,” Stephen Jackson said before Golden State’s 125-123 win over Sacramento on Thursday night, according to Connor LeTourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. “But at the same time, guys got to be professional, too. I would be the first to say these guys these days, they're spoiled. A lot of them are spoiled.
“And I was talking to a Hall of Fame football coach and he said one thing he sees about basketball from the outside looking in, more players today are interested in what the game can do for them. They don't actually love the game like we did. I'm 41 years old, and I still play the game every day.”
Jackson's comments ring painfully true, as many have started to view the game as potential post-career opportunities rather than soaking in the best years of their career.
Stars like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and now Anthony Davis have all requested trades within the last two seasons, and while that is a great point of conversation for the league, it has also deteriorated the aspect of competition after leaving their small-market teams.
Kevin Durant can be put in that same situation, as his entrepreneurial ventures could soon have him trade his blue-and-gold attire for orange-and-blue in The Big Apple starting this offseason.
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