- J. R. Rider was with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2000-01 season when Phil Jackson was the Head Coach
- Rider told the story of how Phil Jackson commented on ‘not finding him on Crenshaw’ in front of the entire team
- J. R. Rider said he never looked at Phil Jackson the same way after he said that to him
Phil Jackson is the most decorated NBA coach of all time, having won 11 championships with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. But even his illustrious career hasn’t been without controversy.
A few players who played for him don’t like Phil Jackson and J. R. Rider is among them. In a conversation with Kevin Garnett earlier this year, he told the story of why that is.
“One day he says, ‘Yeah, you guys have a good day, hopefully, I don’t hear about J. R. being over on Crenshaw,’” J. R. Rider explained. “I said, ‘What you say?’ The whole team yeah, he shot that. The people giggled.
“I say, ‘I don’t think none of that is funny. I don’t have a problem getting my hair cut, getting Earl’s Dog, and then sliding out. But nobody in they right mind just hangs out on Crenshaw, brother.’ I said brother. You know what I mean?
“And I don’t have a problem being around my people and my folks and spending money in the neighborhood or in the ghetto, at the barbecue joints, fish joints, or whatever. So I don’t really, but that’s cool.
“But from that point, I always looked at him different. Certain stuff people say, I pay attention to. Like, what you really trying to say?”
This story may seem innocuous to fans but the implication for J. R. Rider was that he hangs out in shady neighborhoods and that rubbed him the wrong way. It’s not the only time a player has accused Phil Jackson of something similar either.
Scottie Pippen Once Called Phil Jackson A Racist
Saying Phil Jackson is a racist is a stretch, but other former players have said things of that nature about him.
Scottie Pippen, who won six NBA championships playing under Phil Jackson and became one of the greatest players of all time, once called him a racist.
Dan Patrick said to Scottie Pippen, “By saying a racial move, you’re calling Phil a racist.” Pippen responded, “I don’t have a problem with that.” Dan Patrick then said, “Do you think Phil was or is?” To which Pippen replied, “Oh, yeah.”
Plenty of people hit back at Scottie Pippen for his comments, including Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen A. Smith, both of whom reiterated that Phil Jackson isn’t a racist.
J. R. Rider Was An Important Piece For The 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers
Whatever the case was with the comments Phil Jackson made about J. R. Rider, the thing people will ultimately remember is that the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship during the 2000-01 season.
J. R. Rider played a big role for the team during the regular season, playing in 67 games and averaging 18.0 minutes per game primarily off the bench.
In what would be his final full season in the NBA, Rider averaged 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game for the Lakers that year.
Phil Jackson wasn’t one to mince words, and it must have led to more tense situations like these that fans don’t even know about. But in this case, J. R. Rider held his ground and the ultimate result was success for the team.
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