Stephen Jackson's not happy with the NBA dress code
Indiana guard Stephen Jackson believes the NBA's new ban on medallions
and jewellery of that nature is racially motivated, but says
nevertheless he will abide by the rules.
The NBA announced that a dress code would go
into effect at
the start of the season. All players will be required to wear
business-casual dress when involved in team or league business. They
are not to wear visible chains, pendants or medallions over their
clothes.
Stephen Jackson, who is black, said the NBA's new rule about jewellery
targets young black males because chains are associated with the
hip-hop culture, and he said the league is afraid of becoming "too
hip-hop." As a protest, he wore four chains to the Pacers' exhibition
game against San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce also agreed that the new rule targeted young, black players.
"When I saw the part about chains, hip hop and throwback jerseys, I
think that's part of our culture," Paul Pierce said. "The NBA is young
black males."
Philadelphia's Allen Iverson was critical as well of the new rule, which the NBA made the teams aware of in a recent memo.
"I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay
for our clothes," he said. "It's just tough, man, knowing that all of a
sudden you have to have a dress code out of nowhere. I don't think
that's still going to help the image of the league at all."
Golden State guard Jason Richardson backed up their opinions: "They
want to sway away from the hip-hop generation. You think of hip-hop
right now and think of things that happen like gangs having shootouts
in front of radio stations.
Jason Richardson added that smarter style of clothing wasn't
necessarily the best way to determine what the players are really like.
"You still wear a suit, you still could be a crook," Jason Richardson
said in Oakland, Calif. "You see all what happened with Enron and
Martha Stewart. Just because you dress a certain way doesn't mean
you're that way.
"Hey, a guy could come in with baggy jeans, a do-rag and have a Ph.D.,
and a person who comes in with a suit could be a three-time felon. So,
it's not what you wear, it's how you present yourself."
Stephen Jackson defended his actions on Wednesday, but said he won't
allow his feelings to cause a problem once the regular season starts
up.
"They don't want your chains to be out, all gaudy and shiny. But that's
the point of them," he said. "I love wearing my jewelry. But I love my
job. I love playing basketball more than I love getting fined and
getting suspended."
Stephen Jackson said he had enough problems last year, when he got
suspended for 30 games for his role in the November melee between
Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in Auburn Hills, Mich.
"You have to listen to the people who employ you," he said. "The people
who are paying us make the rules. You need to abide by the rules or
don't work. I want to work."
Stephen Jackson first made his disagreement with the new
rule public on Tuesday. But he hasn't heard from the league office, and
says he doesn't expect to.
"I still have freedom of speech, don't I?" he said. "I didn't
disrespect anybody by saying it, so I can say what I want to say."
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