Stephen Jackson Aiming For NBA Comeback

The Warriors have shown some interest in adding longtime NBA forward Stephen Jackson to their coaching staff, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. However, as Stein tweets, Jackson isn’t interested in transitioning into the next phase of his career quite yet — the 38-year-old, who announced his retirement last summer, hopes to find a spot on an NBA roster for this season.

Jackson himself confirmed as much during an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump (video link), suggesting that he “definitely didn’t leave” on his own terms and that he has been working out and keeping himself in shape in the hopes of making a comeback.

Given how long he has been away from the game, Jackson could likely had be had on a minimum-salary contract, which might interest some teams around the NBA. But even though clubs may kick the tires on the former second-round pick, his multiyear absence from the league will give those clubs pause. Jackson hasn’t appeared on the court since January of 2014, and hasn’t had a real rotation role on an NBA team since the 2012/13 season, when he played with the Spurs.

Over the course of his 14 NBA seasons, Jackson averaged 15.1 points per game in 858 regular-season contests, and appeared in another 72 playoff games. He was also a member of the Spurs squad that won the Finals at the end of the 2002/03 season. However, Jackson’s numbers dipped significantly near the end of his career — in his last three seasons, he averaged 7.4 PPG with a .369 FG% in 111 games with the Bucks, Spurs, and Clippers.

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