The Phoenix Suns have been in the news quite a bit over the weekend, ranging from the firing of head coach Earl Watson to the ever-growing trade rumor saga surrounding point guard Eric Bledsoe. In addition to those basketball-related hiccups, rookie and 2017 lottery pick Josh Jackson was captured on video seemingly making a gunshot motion and using profanity in the direction of a fan.
While it was (very) easy to see why the assumption was made that Jackson was using a gun-related gesture toward the fan, the former Kansas standout denied that account in speaking with Scott Bordow of AZCentral.com on Monday.
“That’s what most people thought I was going but I actually wasn’t making a gun. I kind of wanted to put up the middle finger to him but I didn’t do that because I felt like I was really being watched so I kind of halfway did it.”
“He called me a few names as I was coming out of the game so that’s what really set me off but it had been going on from the same guy the entire game. Fans can come and sit so close and say whatever they want to say and us as players can’t react in any type of way. It’s something I’m still learning.”
Jackson indicated that he has seen the video making the rounds on the internet but, perhaps wisely, was not willing to admit the widely presumed intent. Given the wild nature of the past few days in Phoenix, this story has slipped through the cracks to some extent, but Jackson is a highly visible member of Phoenix’s core and it certainly isn’t acceptable to engage with a fan in this way.
At this point, there has been no announced discipline for Jackson, but it would not be a stunner if the rookie was handed some type of punishment as a result of this maneuver.
