Suns rookie says he meant to give the finger, not mimic shooting gun at fan
It's been a rough week for the Phoenix Suns' public relations department: The team suffered the worst loss in franchise history on opening night at home, head coach Earl Watson was fired three games in, starting point guard Eric Bledsoe publicly wants out, and now, star rookie Josh Jackson is in trouble.
Jackson appeared to mime shooting a gun at a fan after the Suns lost 130-88 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at Staples Center. He later explained that his gesture was not intended the way it looked on replay.
"That's what most people thought I was (doing) but I actually wasn't making a gun," Jackson said, according to Scott Bordow of azcentral.com.
"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."
Video shows an irritated Jackson appearing to squeeze an imaginary trigger toward a courtside fan before telling him off. It's unclear if the league will discipline Jackson for it.
The No. 4 pick in this summer's draft admitted dealing with hecklers has been part of the difficult transition from college to the pros.
"He called me a few names as I was coming out of the game so that’s what really set me off," Jackson said. "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."