We all thought the book was closed on Stephen Jackson's turned ankle during the Spurs' loss to the Knicks the other night. Jackson's follow-through on a jumper carried him into a waitress who'd arrived court-side to serve Michael Bloomberg his meal (uneducated guess: A hot dog bun filled with clams). Jackson's ankle rolled as he landed and he had to miss the rest of that game and all of the next one:
Michael Bloomberg suddenly shoulders blame for Stephen Jackson injury
The mayor of New York would like you to know that he hurt a basketball player.
Bruce Bennett
Jackson’s injury wasn’t major -- he returned last night -- and the whole event appeared to be an accident, so any outrage sort of dissipated. But now we have a new wrinkle: Bloomberg himself has stepped forward to take responsibility. From the New York Post:
"He didn’t fall on her," Bloomberg revealed yesterday during a press conference in The Bronx dealing with schools. "He came close and I just pushed him a little bit."
The mayor acknowledged it would be "great for New York" if the Knicks and the Nets made it into the playoffs, but he insisted that fouling Jackson was an instinctive, defensive move and not part of a secret strategy.
Bloomberg claims he wasn’t trying to do the Knicks a favor, so why’d he do it? And moreover, why’d he admit to it? Does Mike Bloomberg just want his name to ring out on the streets? For NBA players to know they best not step near him and his clamwiches? That’s our best guess.
