Here are five things you may or may not know about new Clippers forward Stephen Jackson:
1. Out of the 15 players on the Clippers’ roster, Jackson is the only one with an NBA championship. He started all 24 games for the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 on their way to their second title in the Tim Duncan era. Jackson averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers in Game 6 of the Finals against the Nets to help clinch the title.
2. Jackson has put together several rap tracks since 2011 under the alias Stak5, including one featuring Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant called “Lonely At The Top.” Jackson’s latest mixtape is entitled “Jack of All Trades.”
3. He was drafted in the second of the 1997 Draft by the Suns, but did not make his NBA debut until opening night of the 2000-01 season with the New Jersey Nets. Before signing with the Nets as a free agent in October of that year, Jackson played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association, with the La Crosse Bobcats as well as making stops in Australia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
4. While Jackson was an integral part of the Spurs title in 2003, perhaps his best Playoff moment came four years later with the Golden State Warriors. Jackson was the leader of a team that featured former Clipper Baron Davis and current Clippers’ teammate Matt Barnes. The most memorable play of the run may be Davis’ dunk on Andrei Kirilenko in round two, but the team will be forever remembered as defeating the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks in round one. Jackson sealed the series with a career Playoff-high 33 points, including going 7-of-8 from 3-point range, in Game 6.
5. Jackson says his preferred nicknames are “Stack” or “Jack,” not the “Captain Jack” name bestowed on him by former Head Coach Don Nelson. Jackson’s nickname with the Warriors was derived from the fact that he was the team’s captain, but also likely came from Johnny Depp’s character in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, which was at its height in popularity when Jackson arrived in Oakland in early 2007.