In the wake of police murdering George Floyd in Minnesota, massive protests launched around the country and around the world to once again shine light on systemic racism in policing and the issue of police brutality — and the refusal of the system to hold officers accountable for their actions.
The NBA world was particularly impacted by Floyd’s murder because of the connection Floyd had to Stephen Jackson, a lifelong friend who referred to Floyd as his “twin.” Jackson became a vocal and forward leader in Minnesota after Floyd was killed and called on many of his friends in the NBA and beyond to amplify what they were doing and bring more attention and resources to the fight ahead. The response from the NBA and WNBA communities was swift and forceful, and has continued in the months since.
Jackson recently sat down with Etan Thomas on “The Rematch” podcast to speak on all of that and spoke on some of the incredible assistance his friends have provided the Floyd family in the months since, including Kyrie Irving purchasing the family a new home (the 25:20 mark of the above video).
“She’s getting so much love from not just us, but from people all around the world who are showing support,” Jackson said. “I’m just continuing to do what I said I was going to do; I said I was going to be my brother’s keeper and take care of his daughter and make sure that her next days are her best days. I had a lot of my friends — Kyrie Irving bought them a house. Lil Wayne’s manager bought them a Mercedes Benz. Barbra Streisand gave them stock in Disney.
“I think God has definitely blessed her. Right now she’s doing the best she’s ever done; she’s happy. We’re just waiting for all this trial stuff to get out of the way, where she don’t have to keep reliving the situation and she can go about living her life and being happy.”
Jackson promised to take care of Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, and seems to be doing just that, and it’s nice to hear the support she has received from so many to help set her up with some stability after such a traumatic event. Irving in particular has taken it upon himself recently to be more active in the community, from providing tuition to students at HBCUs to this gesture of purchasing a home for Floyd, as he has become more and more active and vocal about inspiring and creating change.
