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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 21: Head coach Stephen Jackson of Trilogy reacts against Killer 3’s in Week Eight at the Orleans Arena on August 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for BIG3)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 21: Head coach Stephen Jackson of Trilogy reacts against Killer 3’s in Week Eight at the Orleans Arena on August 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for BIG3)
Apart from the Malice at the Palace brawl in 2004, Stephen Jackson’s outspoken personality constantly attracts headlines. One such case was back in 2016 against his former coach, and it just got resolved. The former coach in question is Byron Scott, who accepted his role for the fallout.
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“I could’ve handled it a lot better, but I was young as s–, too. You know what I’m saying? It was my first year coaching, 36 years old as a head coach,” Scott said on the All the Smoke podcast. “And Kenyon (Martin) was a rookie, and Kenyon was like, ‘I got him (Jackson), coach. I got him’. So that particular day, when I just looked at Jack, I said, ‘Jack, go in the locker room, get your s— on, get out of here. And I looked at Kenyon, he just looked at me, he did like this (nodded in dismay).”
The Lakers legend Scott pointed out that he was a rookie coach and was new to player dynamics. It eventually got better as Scott won the Coach of the Year accolade in 2008. But Jackson’s issue was personal, as he previously claimed getting benched despite being an All-Star player. “I made the rookie All-Star Game at the end of the break, and after the break, he did not play me no more. He is the worst communicator for young guys. I would not advise a young player to even listen to Scott.”
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Stak 🤝 Byron Scott
Beef doesn’t have to last forever. Years after Stak’s rookie season with the New Jersey Nets, he and Byron Scott finally sat down to revisit their differences. pic.twitter.com/j4lLxAxtSd
— All the Smoke (@allthesmokeprod) December 25, 2025
This statement was also made to support the then players playing for Scott. The former Lakers coach called out Julius Randle needs to “grow up.” Scott’s comments about Randle came after the forward’s was taken out of Sunday’s 97–77 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers legend said he didn’t like how Randle had reacted after being taken out of the game.
Randle was 21 at the time and was the seventh pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He was averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game in 34 games that season. He played only 16 minutes against the Suns and recorded just two points, three assists, and 12 rebounds before exiting the game with 4:46 left in the fourth quarter.
Jackson was 36 years old at the time, so he did the right thing to support young players. But it’s not the only issue with a Hall of Famer, which Jack has spoken about this year.
Stephen Jackson brought the Pacers legend to tears
The incident was from 2004, when the most infamous brawl in NBA history broke out during the Pacers-Pistons game, with fans involved in the scuffle, and nine players were suspended. Artest was suspended for 86 games, Jackson was suspended for 30, and O’Neal was suspended for 25. The Pacers players were trying to protect their own as the brawl broke out. Police had to get involved, but decades later, a regret remained for Jackson, which was that he let down Pacers legend Reggie Miller.
On the All the Smoke podcast episode in April, Jackson discussed how he never really had the chance to apologize to Miller for the incident. “I never got a chance to apologize to you.” Jackson told Miller, “The whole motivation for getting things done the right way and getting a championship was for you.” As multiple key players were suspended for much of the season, the Pacers’ chances at a title dwindled.
Miller retired after the season with no championship to his resume. “Those last few years in Indiana [were] my best years,” Miller said as part of his response, while tears welled up in his eyes. So, the year 2025 brought emotional closure for Jackson on various ends.
