Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson did not hold back in expressing his disappointment with Gayle King following her recent interview with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley on “CBS Mornings.”
Jackson voiced his criticisms on Instagram, labeling King’s comments as “trash” and accusing her of demeaning Staley during the April 7 interview, which came after Staley’s team defeated Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes to clinch the 2024 NCAA women’s title.
Jackson took issue with King’s remark to Staley that the audience was rooting for Iowa and Caitlin Clark, despite South Carolina’s victory capturing many hearts. He challenged King’s role in journalism, questioning her representation of Black media and criticizing her for making such comments to a championship-winning coach.
In his Instagram video, Jackson stated, “You’re talking to her about winning the championship, about going undefeated, and you have the nerve to say ‘we were rooting for Caitlin Clark and you broke everybody’s hearts.’ Who is ‘we’? All the Black people I know were rooting for Dawn Staley. We’re fans of Caitlin Clark, but that was a low blow.”
Jackson, who also co-hosts the “All the Smoke” podcast, highlighted a need for change in media interactions, condemning King’s approach as demeaning and unnecessary. Meanwhile, King faced further scrutiny online, with some calling for her to apologize to Staley.
Neither King nor Staley had commented on Jackson’s remarks.
In a separate note, Staley recently celebrated receiving a personal gift and congratulatory note from Beyoncé after leading the Gamecocks to their second title in three years, and praised Caitlin Clark for her contribution to women’s college basketball.
In other news, King was in the headlines after CNN canceled her and Charles Barkley’s weekly talk show, “King Charles,” last week.
