This Day In Cavs History: Phil Jackson Takes Aim At LeBron With ‘Posse’ Comment
Throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, Spencer Davies is going to turn back the clock to milestone moments and important dates in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ past with “This Day In Cavs History.” Whether they’ve been good, bad or sad, these events were significant in the franchise’s 53-year existence.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Hall-of-Famer and 11-time NBA champion head coach Phil Jackson ruffled a lot of feathers seven years ago.
He made pointed comments toward LeBron James, his off-the-court business ventures and who he partnered with while answering a question about Pat Riley and the Miami Heat.
“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,” Jackson told ESPN. “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.”
Those words set the basketball world ablaze, particularly the term “posse” being used to refer to LeBron’s legitimate associates. One of those partners, Maverick Carter, took umbrage at the way Jackson portrayed his message, belittling the business acumen of the star and his ventures.
"I don't care that he talks about LeBron," Carter told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin later that night. "He could say he's not that good or the greatest in the world as a basketball player. I wouldn't care. It's the word 'posse' and the characterization I take offense to. If he would have said LeBron and his agent, LeBron and his business partners or LeBron and his friends, that's one thing. Yet because you're young and Black, he can use that word. We're grown men."
LeBron James (second left) and longtime friends (from left) Randy Mims, Maverick Carter and Rich Paul.
Andscape (via UNINTERRUPTED)
One day after the fiasco, LeBron had a calculated retort.
“I've been in the league for 14 years and from the beginning two years in, I felt like I wanted to put my guys in positions of power, give those guys an opportunity to better themselves," he said after a Cavs practice. "You know, in the beginning we were highly criticized and I was highly criticized about what I wanted to do to help some guys around me become very successful in business.
"It just sucks that now at this point having one of the biggest businesses you can have both on and off the floor, having a certified agent in Rich Paul, having a certified business partner in Maverick Carter that's done so many great business [deals], that the title for young African-Americans is the word 'posse.'"
LeBron stood up for his fellow Black businessmen and his closest friends.
"We see the success that we have, but then there is always someone that lets you know still how far we still have to go as African-Americans," he said. “But it won't stop us from doing what we need to do as a group. We're not going to let Phil Jackson's comments stop us from doing what we need to do. It just gives us extra motivation. But it's still sad.
"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, it's not what my family stands for. I believe the only reason he used that word is because he sees young African-Americans trying to make a difference."
Jackson didn't walk the comments back in a follow-up interview about a month later with James Herbert of CBS Sports, but he did admit he shouldn't have spoken about an opposing team's player. (Jackson was the New York Knicks team president at the time.)
"That's a topic I'm not going to discuss because, one, we're not supposed to discuss other team's players in this position that I have here," Jackson said. "So I violated one of the tenets of our thing.
"And the obvious thing is, the word itself carries connotation. And I just don't understand that part of it, the word. So I guess word choice could be something I could regret. But yeah, talking about other teams players, that's out of the box."
Fast-forward to today, and it feels like the success of Klutch Sports Group, UNINTERRUPTED, SpringHill Entertainment and many other ventures LeBron has founded/invested in has given him and his partners the last laugh.
Hopefully, Jackson understands the magnitude of what they’ve collectively accomplished to this point and will choose his words more carefully.
