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Lakers head coach Phil Jackson reacts to an officials call in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at the Staples Center Wednesday. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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Lakers head coach Phil Jackson reacts to an officials call in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at the Staples Center Wednesday. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The 2020 NBA Bubble was a unique event in league history. Not only were the games being played behind closed doors owing to the pandemic, but there was a lot of activism going around in the league during that time. Out of all the issues that were being brought forth, the Black Lives Matter movement took the league and the world by storm. However, there were people who criticized the league authorities and players for politicizing the sport. One of them happens to be legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson. The 77-year-old faced a lot of flak for his comments, but the 11x NBA championship-winning coach has now cleared the air.
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The former Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls coach was all over the news a few weeks ago. He made some shocking claims about the 2020 NBA Bubble, which invited some criticism.
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Hall of Fame coach sets the record straight after a major controversy
The 2020-21 NBA season was a unique season for many reasons. The league and players regularly shed light on issues crippling society. Naturally, this brought in a lot of support while people also bashed the league. A few weeks ago, Phil Jackson joined Rick Rubin’s podcast. During a segment of the podcast, Jackson asserted that he couldn’t watch the games because of the amount of activism and politics.

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(Los Angeles, CA Wednesday, May 27, 2009) Lakers coach Phil Jackson whistles to get his team’s attention late in game five of the NBA Western Conference finals at Staples Center. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
This segment of the podcast went viral across the internet. As a result, the former Lakers and Bulls coach faced a lot of flak. Jackson once again made an appearance on Stacey King’s Podcast a few days ago.
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When asked to comment on his statements, the veteran coach asserted that he is not against BLM and what it stands for. However, some of the NBA’s decisions shocked him. Jackson said, “I had nothing against BLM or the cause that was behind it. But the humorous nature of going completely woke by the NBA, really was like, it’s pretty hard to watch.”
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Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Jackson shared some polarizing views. He had once raised eyebrows with his opinions about rap music. According to Jackson, the players had a limited attention span owing to the kind of music they listen to.

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Lakers coach Phil Jackson disputes an official’s call in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, May 19, 2009, in game on of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“They have a limitation of their attention span, a lot of it probably due to too much rap music going in their ears and coming out their being,” said Jackson. Despite all such controversies, there is no denying that Phil Jackson is one of the greatest coaches ever. Having coached the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal, Jackson has left a huge impact on the league.
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What do you think about Jackson’s statements? Let us know in the comments below.
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