https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003315/Phil-Jackson-says-doesnt-follow-NBA-political-2020-Bubble.html

I was a rabid Spurs fan for decades until Popadick called me a racist and said he preferred if I wasn't a fan because I voted for Trump. I never thought I'd say that Phil Jackson is awesome. FWIW, I haven't watched a game in almost 7 years and don't miss it. I'm never going to be a fan of the NBA again.

Quote:
Hall of Fame basketball coach Phil Jackson has admitted to no longer following the NBA because it's become 'woke' and too 'political' since the 2020 bubble.
The 77-year-old, who won 11 NBA championships as a head coach, claimed that he hasn't stayed up to date with recent developments in the league since 2020, while speaking to the Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin podcast.
Three years ago postseason games were played in the 'bubble' at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and players were permitted to display messages on the back of their jerseys, such as 'Justice' and 'Black Lives Matter'. Only a few kept their last names on their shirts.
'I am not enjoying the game,' Jackson said on the podcast on April 5. 'There's a whole generation that doesn't like the game.
'They did something that was kind of wanky, they did a bubble down in Orlando, and all the teams that could qualify went down there and stayed down there.'
Jackson, who won rings with the Chicago Bulls (1989-1998) and Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2004, 2005-2011), added: 'And they had things on their back like, ''Justice.'' They made a funny thing like, ''Justice just went to the basket and Equal Opportunity just knocked him down.''
'[...] My grandkids thought that was pretty funny to play up those names. [...] I couldn't watch that.
'The Lakers won that year,' he recalled. 'They even had slogans on the floor and the baseline. It was trying to cater to an audience or trying to bring a certain audience to the game, and they didn't know it was turning other people off. People want to see sports as non-political.
'Politics stays out of the game; it doesn't need to be there.'
I was a rabid Spurs fan for decades until Popadick called me a racist and said he preferred if I wasn't a fan because I voted for Trump. I never thought I'd say that Phil Jackson is awesome. FWIW, I haven't watched a game in almost 7 years and don't miss it. I'm never going to be a fan of the NBA again.