It was a huge shock this summer when ESPN decided to part ways with longtime lead NBA analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. The pair, along with Mike Breen, had been staples in NBA broadcasting for decades. And while Van Gundy moved on to take on a behind-the-scenes role with the Boston Celtics, it wasn’t clear what Jackson’s next step would be… until now.
We hope you’re sitting down for this one, because… Mark Jackson… is starting his own podcast, the self-titled Mark Jackson Show. And to think Mama, There Goes That Podcast was right there staring him in the face.
Yes, it’s another podcast! Jackson is the latest current or former NBA player to start a podcast along with countless others in the marketplace. His version will be alongside his son Mark Jackson II and be hosted on the Come and Talk 2 Me YouTube channel, which is best known for the popular Cam’ron and Ma$e show It Is What It Is.
The debut episode is already out and Jackson explained in hilarious fashion why he decided to go the well-traveled podcast route when asked by his son at the top of the show.
“If you don’t know, I got fired! That’ll do it, that’ll make you make an adjustment and an audible real fast,” Jackson said.
“What also happened was two legends out of New York City, two guys from Harlem, you never know who you’re impacting, and when I got fired they took my firing personally and they basically had a vision and they proposed that vision to me, two guys by the name of Cam and Ma$e, who’s making a historic run with It Is What It Is changing the game of how we cover sports. I’m honored to call them partners and even more honored to call them friends and family,” Jackson added.
Jackson also said it was a “beautiful luxury” to be able to criticize referees in podcast form without getting a call as he might have received while working for ESPN. And we all know there has been enough bad calls to dissect this season from the NBA’s officiating crews.
Cam’ron and Ma$e have been outspoken supporters of Jackson, even giving him credit for the Golden State Warriors’ success after he departed the sidelines and Steve Kerr took over. So the fact that they’ve partnered together isn’t all that surprising.
Given Jackson’s ample experience in coaching and in broadcasting, it is somewhat peculiar that he didn’t land on his feet in the league somewhere. There was speculation about Jackson being a part of Knicks telecasts with former partner Mike Breen, but an old feud with a Knicks coach prevented that from taking place. Now Jackson will try his hand at the digital realm and time will tell if he’s able to make the same impact in podcasting as he did in broadcasting.
