Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
'Tony Parker Was Getting Cooked': Stephen Jackson Shades Ex Spurs Teammate
The 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs are celebrating two decades since their title run.
The Spurs entered the playoffs as the league's best team with 60 wins, dismantling the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets en route to the franchise's second title in five years.
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing, as noted by Stephen Jackson in a recent appearance of "Ticket & The Truth" on Showtime.
"Tony Parker was getting cooked by every point guard that year," Jackson said via Showtime. "Speedy Claxton saved us. I don't know why they don't talk about Speedy Claxton and give him his props bro. Tony Parker was near the bench every fourth quarter because Steph [Stephon Marbury] was frying him. Jason Kidd was frying him."
Parker, just a second-year pro at the time, averaged 15.5 points in the regular season to go with 5.3 assists, but his numbers dipped in several categories come playoff time.
Jackson's feud with Parker isn't new. The beef has been lasting for years, and Jackson has previously called Parker "one of the most selfish players" he has ever played with.
“I know the type of person Tony is,” Jackson said on the All The Smoke podcast earlier this year. “Great player, going to go down in the Hall of Fame. But he’s very selfish. He’s been selfish. We would have had more championships and more success if it wasn’t for him being so selfish."
Despite how they feel about one another and how they may have performed individually in the postseason, both Jackson and Parker will go down in Spurs history together as key pieces to the 2003 championship team.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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