Image Source: USA Today Sports
[Saba Sports News] Jalen Rose expressed his displeasure after Phil Jackson mentioned him during a speech at the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant statue unveiling ceremony.
Phil Jackson, who coached Bryant for 11 seasons with the Lakers, recounted memories from Bryant’s career and brought up Rose’s name twice in his speech. He highlighted an incident from the 2000 NBA Finals where Rose stepped under Bryant, causing an ankle sprain, and joked about targeting Rose in the game where Bryant scored 81 points against Rose’s Toronto Raptors in 2006.
Rose responded to Jackson’s mentions with a video on social media, taking a jab at the 78-year-old coach.
He sarcastically thanked Jackson for the acknowledgment but suggested that Jackson’s remarks were a form of retaliation, using the phrase “a hit dog gon holla” to imply that Jackson was reacting because Rose had previously criticized him.
Rose, who had shared a close relationship with Bryant and even humorously acknowledged being on the receiving end of Bryant’s 81-point performance, highlighted a stark contrast in his interactions with Jackson, especially after publicly critiquing Jackson’s comments about the NBA becoming too political.