With All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sidelined for all or most of the season, respectively, the 31-year-old point guard has kept the Clippers afloat and fun to watch.
Sure, Derek Fisher played for the Lakers, the team Reggie Jackson associates with “bright lights,” as opposed to his “heart-of-the-city” Clippers.
To Shapan Debnath, a Clippers fan since Lamar Odom’s rookie season in 1999-2000, Jackson is “a Clipper legend, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s Clipper culture.” “A goal of mine has just been to be embraced, despite the results,” Jackson. “That’s what I love about this fan base – I know it took having some good results – but really through the ups and downs this year … they haven’t turned.Jackson – who was born in Italy but also lived in England, North Dakota, George and Florida before settling in Colorado Springs – knows it wasn’t unconditional love at first sight.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac said even he initially had the wrong idea of Jackson – who had been tagged with a reputation as being selfish as he began his career on the star-studded Thunder.