Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson grew up in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens, New York City, New York. He was regarded as one of the nation's elite point guards in secondary school. Raised Catholic, he attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, New York City. He was a star player for the school's basketball team under coach Patrick Quigley. Jackson gained a reputation as a streetballer in New York. ==College career==

Jackson was a college hoops star at St. John's University. While at St. John's, he played alongside Olympian and NBA All-Star Chris Mullin for two seasons. He credits Mullin with teaching him the importance of rigorous practice work in the gym. While at St. John's, Jackson developed an unusual free-throw line ritual of extending his hand and "cupping" his thumb and index finger around the rim. This helped him stay focused on the rim while shooting foul shots. He continued this well into his pro career and it helped him to a career 77.0% free-throw percentage. ==Professional career==

New York Knicks (1987–1992) Jackson was the 18th pick of the 1987 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. Houston Rockets (2004) On January 15, 2004, Jackson signed with the Houston Rockets, backing up Steve Francis. Jackson played in only 42 games as a Rocket and, experiencing a large drop-off in production, finished his career at season's end. ==Player profile==

Jackson ranks sixth on the all-time assist list (10,334), 24th on the NBA all-time games list (1,296), 34th on the all-time steals list (1,608), 42nd on the all-time minutes played list (39,121), 225th on the all-time three-point field goals made list (734), and 197th on the all-time three-point field goal attempts list (2,213). He never achieved great individual success; despite winning Rookie of the Year in 1988, he made only one All-Star appearance in his career (1989). Jackson is also notable for prompting an NBA rule change. In response to his penchant for backing down opposing point guards in the post for 15 or more seconds at a time, the league instituted the five-second back-to-the-basket violation, sometimes called the "Mark Jackson Rule", prohibiting an offensive player from dribbling with his back to the basket for more than five consecutive seconds when below the free throw line. Jackson is also known for perfecting and increasing the popularity of the "teardrop" shot, which he often used over much larger defenders. ==Coaching career==

Golden State Warriors (2011–2014) On June 6, 2011, Jackson was hired as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He was the first head coach hired by new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. After inheriting a team that had made the playoffs just once in the previous 17 years, Jackson promised to turn the Warriors into a good defensive team and playoff contender. The Warriors struggled to a 23–43 record his first year during the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season as the team suffered several injuries to key players while adjusting to a new system. In the season, with strong performance from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Jackson led the Warriors to a 47–35 record and the sixth seed in the Western Conference. It was the first time the Warriors had made the playoffs since the 2006–07 season. The Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets 4–2 in the first round, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4–2 in the conference semifinals. Originally signed under a four-year, $8 million contract, Jackson earned two more years guaranteed on his contract in 2013, putting him under contract through 2014–15. The following season, the Warriors improved to 51–31, the team's first season with 50 or more wins since . They reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992, but lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. On May 6, 2014, Jackson was removed as head coach. The Warriors front office said the team was better than when Jackson arrived, but felt a different coach was needed to win an NBA championship. The following season, head coach Steve Kerr's Warriors won the team's first NBA title in 40 years. Jackson's time as head coach of the Warriors was marred by allegations of intense religious rhetoric and homophobia. Jackson had reportedly ranted about two staff members who were openly gay. ==Broadcasting career==

Jackson worked as an analyst for New Jersey Nets on YES Network, mostly with Marv Albert. He has also worked as an analyst for ABC, teaming with Mike Breen and former coach Jeff Van Gundy. At the end of the 2008 NBA season, Jackson unexpectedly quit his position with the YES Network. This move fueled speculation that Jackson would be replacing Isiah Thomas as coach of the New York Knicks, but Jackson said the rumors were untrue and the decision was based on a desire to stop commuting from Los Angeles and his contract with ABC. On May 17, 2014, Jackson reached a multiyear agreement to return to ESPN as a game analyst. In May 2023, in the days following the announcement of Joel Embiid as the 2022–23 NBA MVP, but before the details of individual votes were known, there was public criticism—most notably by Charles Barkley on TNT's Inside the NBA—of the only voter (at that point still unnamed) who didn't include the Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić in his top five. As the NBA released the individual voting ballots, it was revealed that ESPN's analyst Jackson was that voter. Jackson immediately publicly apologized to the Nuggets and Jokić, stating his exclusion of Jokić was a mistake and that "Jokić is not only in the MVP discussion and deserved to be on my ballot but is one of the greatest players in the history of this game and a top-10 center of all-time". Van Gundy and Jackson were let go by ESPN/ABC amid layoffs at the network on June 30 and July 31, 2023, respectively. Doc Rivers and Doris Burke replaced the pair on the lead broadcast team. ==Personal life==

Jackson married singer and actress Desiree Coleman on July 29, 1990. They have four children. Jackson and Coleman divorced in 2017 after 27 years of marriage. His son, Mark Jackson Jr., played for the Manhattan Jaspers for the 2012–13 season after transferring from the University of Louisville. He is the older brother of AND1 streetballer Troy Jackson, better known as "Escalade". Troy Jackson died on February 20, 2011, at age 38. Jackson is a Christian and a licensed minister. Jackson is of partial Dominican descent, which qualified him to play for the national basketball team of the Dominican Republic. However, FIBA ultimately refused to allow him to be added to the roster. Extortion scandal In June 2012, Jackson revealed he had been the target of an extortion threat based on an extramarital affair and nude photos taken in 2006. Jackson said that he initially made payments of several thousands of dollars to a stripper and her accomplice to keep quiet about the affair and the photos, but when the alleged extortionists increased their demands, Jackson went to the FBI and ultimately the alleged conspirators were named in felony criminal complaints. "I recognize the extremely poor judgment that I used both in having an affair six years ago—including the embarrassing communication I exhibited during that time," said Jackson, "and in attempting to deal with the extortion scheme at first by myself." ==NBA career statistics==

Regular season • Due to a mid-season trade ended up playing a total of 83 games. Playoffs ==Head coaching record==