2003 Champion Stephen Jackson played for 14 years in the NBA before retiring in 2014. During his tenure, he established himself as a solid player, averaging 15 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 41.4% shooting.
And while Mr. Jackson has plenty of stories to tell about his time on the basketball court, his most recent tale (which has captivated the headlines) had to do with his business behind the scenes.
Speaking to fans on Instagram Live, Jackson shed some light on the details behind leaving his former fiancee (also the mother of his child) on their wedding day after she refused to sign a prenup.
“We planned to get married in Houston. So, newsflash for all 530 of y’all here. In order for a prenup to get drawn up, both the husband the wife, the bride and the groom have to agree on the prenup before it can even get written up. I take care of a lot of people. I’m never letting one woman control of all the hard work I’ve done in my life. None of these muhf*ckas was in the gym with me. So I told myself whoever I’m married to, they signing a prenup off top. It’s not even a second guess.
So we get the prenup back at least 3-4 months before the wedding. This is all true y’all. I give it to her. When I give it to her, she shouldn’t be surprised by it because me and her sat down and agreed upon the prenup. We agreed. Listen to me y’all. We agreed on the prenup. A month passed, two months before the wedding, I’m like we need to get that prenup signed so when we get down there to Houston, we ain’t gotta worry about it. I tell her that like two or three times.
Now, it’s a month before the wedding and I’m like this is something we agreed on, I shouldn’t have to tell you to sign this prenup. This what I’m telling her. She’s like, ‘Ima sign it. Ima sign it. Ima sign it.’ During that time, we making arrangements for the wedding you still gotta plan shit. You know, I love her. And Ima keep it real with you, I was in love with her and we was building a family. So I was like cool, I ain’t gon make no big deal of it.”
They had both agreed to sign the prenup, so plans commenced like usual. But when the soon-to-be Mrs. Jackson failed to sign the papers by her wedding day, Stephen bailed, leaving his woman hanging.
“She is adamant about this certain pastor. I’m like cool it’s her wedding. But this is a pastor, I’m talking about screaming at me and everything. ‘This pastor has to do it.’
I spent about $400,000 on the wedding, y’all. Pastor don’t matter to me. I just want to marry you. I don’t even give a damn. Now, we at two weeks before the wedding. Everything planned and ready to go. I’m like, ‘Look bruh why I got to keep asking you about this prenup. It ain’t like you don’t know what’s on it. What motives? This what I told her, what motives you on?! I ain’t on nothing, I just ain’t had time to sign it planning a wedding.
So, this the day of the wedding. Y’all ready for the good part? We wake up that morning, I’m getting dressed. All my groomsmen. In the back of mind, all I’m thinking about is this d– prenup… So where we’re staying at, it’s a big ballroom. We had to get on a private elevator and we go to a back room where we can just walk out to the wedding. Once we get to that room, that’s when I really turn up. And this is why Stephon Marbury and Mike Bibby are my brothers, like my real brothers.
We in the back room and the preacher come in with his assistant and my nanny come in with a spooked look on her face. She pulls me to the side and she like, ‘She still ain’t signed it.’ So, I said, ‘I ain’t getting married then.’ Steph was like, ‘She ain’t sign the prenup, what we even here for?’”
Things apparently got pretty tense for everyone involved, eventually leading to Stephen breaking down on the floor in tears.
“The preacher steps up, remember the preacher? He says ‘Hold on, now I know you love this girl. Don’t make a drastic decision. I think you should just let God handle it.’ I said, ‘Huh?’ He said, ‘As the pastor, I don’t believe in prenups.’ Now I know why she was fighting for you. You don’t believe in prenups. Damn what you believe in. I put everything in God’s hands and God is telling me to put the pen in her hand and make her sign this gotdamn prenup. That’s what God tellin me. So God tellin you and me two different things.
By that time it had got rowdy in the bridesmaids room. Bobby Valentino was standing up there, ready to start singing. Ask Bobby Valentino. He was there. Bobby Valentino will tell you this whole story. Everybody getting antsy like ‘what the f*ck?!’ My grandma just sitting there like she already know what’s going on.’ My sister comes out and said, ‘I had to get out of there before I whoop one of them hoes because they in there talking crazy.’ Not in those exact words but she was upset with what was said in there.
This is when she showed her true colors. So wedding off. Wedding’s off. We not doing it. We getting undressed. When we first get back to the room, I break down crying. Honest to God truth, I was hurt. I wanted to marry her, bruh. I break down crying for like twenty-thirty minutes. I’m hard down crying. I didn’t think a woman would take me to this point over a piece of paper.
And we got a child together. I was honestly hurt. I was in there hard down crying. And this is when I fell in love with Mike Bibby mama. I’m talking like snot everything. As a grown man, I ain’t never cried like that. Mike Bibby mom grab her bare hand, wipe the snot and everything from my face and picked my chin up and she said, ‘You became a man today.’”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTyFYy1L9xf
Apparently, the bride later talked to Jackson in tears, crying out that she would sign the papers if it meant the wedding could commence. In the end, he still refused to marry her, pointing out that she could make a case to invalidate the prenup in court if she signed under distress.
So, that’s the story of Jackson’s wedding day disaster. And while there are no doubt many more details to the whole thing, it really sheds some light on some of the challenges star athletes face in their personal lives.
You never know when somebody likes you for you or for the money.
