Retired NBA player and current BIG3 participant Stephen Jackson claims the 10 best players playing in the BIG3 could beat an NBA team.
Stephen Jackson hasn’t played in an NBA game since 2014 when he was a Los Angeles Clipper. He’s an NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs and has traveled the country, playing a number of games. He might be best known for his “Malice in the Palace” role when he jumped into the stands to fight with Pistons’ fans.
He’s also an analyst on ESPN and FS1, but he’s most recently been in the news for his participation in Ice Cube’s BIG3 tournament. Jackson’s part of the Killer 3s, a squad that’s coached by Charles Oakley and features Larry Hughes, Reggie Evans, Chauncey Billups.
They haven’t played that well so far, but it isn’t stopping Jackson from making an insane statement. The ex-NBA player said on FS1, “I honestly feel that if you got the top 10 guys here, we could beat an actual NBA team. Not just the summer league, we’ll beat an actual NBA team.”
That’s a pretty bizarre statement, considering that the NBA is full of 20-something-year-olds and the BIG3 tournament features 40-something-year-olds that are athletically past their prime. There would be some popular names in the top-10, including Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington.
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These names would make a great team — in 2007. We’re in 2017 when the NBA is dominated by young, athletic, three-point shooting teams. At their advanced age, they couldn’t beat any team, that includes the Brooklyn Nets.
Others, including Kenyon Martin and Gary Payton, went on to agree with what Jackson said, but admitted they would need a month to get into good shape. Still a crazy thing to think about, but I doubt they stay close in a 48-minute, full-court game.