Saturday, January 10, 2015

Mark Jackson gets standing ovation in return to Oakland (VIDEO)

Mark Jackson returned to Oracle Arena for the first time since the Warriors beat the Clippers to force Game 7 in their first round series last spring. And the former Warriors coach — who was fired soon after on May 6 — had no idea how the crowd would react to seeing him back on the sidelines — albeit, this time as a broadcaster.

To Jackson's surprise, the moment his face appeared on the video board, both he home crowd and players erupted into cheers and gave him a standing ovation.

The Warriors' players, led by Stephen Curry gave a heartfelt welcome back. Even CEO Joe Lacob got out of his seat to applaud.


The anticipation for the game against the Cavaliers had been building all day for Jackson —  now a highly regarded color commentator for ESPN who still is being paid by the Warriors — and he was hoping LeBron James would steal the spotlight.

When James backed out of the game with an injury, the night belonged solely to Jackson.




"Incredible blessing," Jackson said on the national telecast of the game. "I'm humbled by the support of the fans and the reaction. Three years ago, this was a team that had a history of losing. To think right now to be a legitimate team to win it all, I'm extremely proud."




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