Draymond Green Reveals The Warriors’ Reaction When Mark Jackson Was Fired: “We Were All Crushed… We Felt Like We Were Building Something.”

Draymond Green opened up about his first NBA coach, Mark Jackson, getting fired during the Golden State Warriors emergence in 2014.

3 Min Read

The Golden State Warriors dynasty is something that many never saw coming, but very few people knew that there was something special about the talent they had drafted. One of the people that knew that it was a special team was former coach and now NBA commentator Mark Jackson.

Jackson coached the Warriors from 2011 to 2014, getting fired because the team felt that they needed a new coach to win a title. This led to Steve Kerr winning an NBA Championship with the team in his first year with the squad. However, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were all very close to Jackson as he believed in them and their unique playing style before anyone else. Green spoke about Jackson’s coaching on the ‘Checc-N-In’ podcast. 

“We were all crushed when [Mark Jackson] got fired because, again, we went from 23 wins to 46 wins to 48 or 49 wins the following year. We all felt like we were building towards something. You take a team who hadn’t been to the playoffs but one time in the last 20 years or something – and we went to the playoffs in back-to-back years – and then he got fired. So none of us knew what to think…what you have to remember is, it’s not like it’s year 10 Draymond, year 11 Klay [Thompson], year 13 Steph [Curry]. It’s year two, year three, and then year five. None of us know what to even think. Like what’s going on? This is really our first experience of the business side… We were just young and out here playing.” (Source: Caffeine TV)


Did Mark Jackson Deserve To Get Fired?

Mark Jackson was fired after the 2014 Playoffs because the Warriors wanted to hire a new coach to get over the championship hump after Jackson developed the Warriors’ core into All-Star caliber players. They had lost to the eventual champions San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs that season.

Jackson’s firing was mainly related to his controversial religious beliefs and homophobic behavior. Everybody is free to practice what they want and believe what they want, but any of it spilling over onto a professional setup will raise eyebrows and cause dire consequences.

Despite everything, Jackson has enjoyed a great broadcasting career with ESPN since. While he hasn’t gotten a head coaching job in the league again, he is one of the most recognizable broadcasters in the game. The Warriors are not kicking themselves over firing him for Steve Kerr, considering Kerr just won his 4th championship as coach of the Warriors in 2022.

Newsletter

Stay up to date with our newsletter on the latest news, trends, ranking lists, and evergreen articles

Follow on Google News

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.

Share This Article
Ishaan Bhattacharya is a content manager for Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. With his expertise in NBA content creation, Ishaan brings a wealth of experience to his role, contributing to the site's authority and reach within the basketball community. Over the last year, Ishaan has interviewed Ray Allen and Mark Tatum, while also covering the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games which saw the Dallas Mavericks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since joining Fadeaway World in March 2022, Ishaan Bhattacharya has become known for his unique perspective on the NBA. He consistently delivers this insight through his daily news coverage and detailed opinion pieces on the most significant topics in the league.Before his tenure at Fadeaway World, Ishaan worked in corporate communications, where he serviced prominent sports brands, including NBA India, Sports18, Amazon Prime Sports, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. This experience in strategic communications for leading sports entities has enhanced his ability to craft impactful narratives and connect with a global audience.A true MFFLer (Mavs Fan for Life, for the uninitiated), Ishaan is a massive fan of the Dallas Mavericks. When he is not upset about Jalen Brunson walking in free agency, you can see Ishaan as an avid gamer and content creator. His passion for basketball extends beyond the Mavericks, as evidenced by his thoughtfully curated NBA Mount Rushmore, featuring LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell—each representing distinct eras and bringing their unique qualities to the game.Featured On: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher ReportYahoo Sports, NBA, Fox Sports, The Spun
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *