Phil Jackson caught the attention of LeBron James' business partner with comments he made to ESPN, and now the NBA superstar has responded as well.
The main source of anger from James and his partner, Maverick Carter, comes from Jackson's use of the word "posse" to describe the friends of the Cavs star. James had remained quiet on the issue until he was asked about it Tuesday.
"To use that label, and if you go and read the definition of what the word 'posse' is, it's not what I've built over my career. It's not what I stand for," James said. "It's not what my family stands for. And I believe the only reason he used that word is because it's young African-Americans trying to make a difference."
That final sentence is a pretty strong comment towards Jackson, and was a step further than what Carter was saying. For reference, Carter wrote on Twitter, "Let me be clear I'm not saying [Jackson] is racist."
James also essentially said he lost respect for the current Knicks president.
LeBron on Phil Jackson: "I had nothing but respect for him as a coach ..."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 15, 2016
Q: "Had respect?"
LeBron: "Yeah"
Q: "Until now?"
LeBron: "Yeah"
MORE: Cavs only getting better in 2016-17
Here's the initial interaction Jackson had with ESPN when he said "posse," emphasis ours:
ESPN: It all started when LeBron left, right? Could you have ever imagined Earvin Johnson leaving Riley, or Michael Jordan leaving you?
Jackson: It had to hurt when they lost LeBron. That was definitely a slap in the face. But there were a lot of little things that came out of that. When LeBron was playing with the Heat, they went to Cleveland and he wanted to spend the night. They don't do overnights. Teams just don't. So now (coach Erik) Spoelstra has to text Riley and say, 'What do I do in this situation?' And Pat, who has iron-fist rules, answers, 'You are on the plane, you are with this team.' You can't hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.
I always thought Pat had this really nice vibe with his guys. But something happened there where it broke down. I do know LeBron likes special treatment. He needs things his way.
The Cavs play the Knicks on Dec. 7 at Madison Square Garden, and you can expect this storyline to pick back up.
