One of LeBron James most trusted friend business partner, Maverick Carter, took offense to New York Knicks president Phil Jackson’s comments where he referred to the reigning Finals MVP’s camp as a “posse.”
In an interview with Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.com, Phil Jackson was asked about James’ departure from the Miami Heat in 2014 to which he responded: “It had to hurt when they lost LeBron James. That was definitely a slap in the face. But there were a lot of things that came out of that. When LeBron James was playing with the Miami Heat, they went to Cleveland, and he wanted to spend the night. They don’t do overnights. Teams just don’t. So now Erik Spoelstra has to text Pat Riley and say, ‘What do I do in this situation?’ And Pat Riley, who has iron-fist rules, answers ‘You are on the plane. You are with this team.’ You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.”
Carter took to Twitter to express his disapproval of the term Phil Jackson used.
All the hard work,effort and achievement and @PhilJackson11 still calls us a "posse"every step you take they remind you, you ghetto" @S_C_ pic.twitter.com/OPsPvAvFoM
— Maverick Carter (@mavcarter) November 14, 2016
“I don’t care that he talks about LeBron James
. He could say he’s not that good or the greatest player in the world as a basketball player,” Maverick Carter told ESPN.com. “I wouldn’t care. It’s the word ‘posse’ and the characterization I take offense to,” adding that he would rather the former Los Angeles Lakers’ coach refer to them as agents, friends or business partners. “…because you’re young and black, he can’t use that word. We’re grown men.” Carter, though, clarified what his displeasure was about in the subsequent tweet.
Let me be clear I'm not saying @PhilJackson11 is racist,, I'm calling out his disrespectful language — Maverick Carter (@mavcarter) November 15, 2016
Phil Jackson has been known to use needling language throughout his career as a coach to either motivate his players or gain a psychological advantage over opponents.
There have been rumors swirling around that Carmelo Anthony might look to team up with James in 2018 when he can opt out of his current deal. Could Jackson’s comments be a preliminary jab at Maverick Carter, LeBron James, and their sports agency Klutch Sports, which could look to lure the star forward away from New York?
Source: ESPN.com
