“Wasn’t Sure if I’m Gonna Play Basketball”: Los Angles Clippers star Admits Quitting NBA After ‘Unfortunate Ending’
This season, Reggie Jackson has established himself as a major member of the Los Angeles Clippers. Some may even argue that, with LA’s superstars presently on the shelf, Jackson has stepped in as the Clippers’ primary man during the last few months. The Detroit Pistons released Jackson on February 18, 2020, after reaching a contract buyout agreement. Jackson signed with the Los Angeles Clippers two days later.
Despite leading by three games to one in the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Clippers were defeated in seven games by the Denver Nuggets. This loss affected several Clippers’ players and staff. However, it affected Reggie to such an extent that he started thinking of quitting the game.
It’s difficult to believe that, at this stage in his career, Jackson pondered retiring from the game entirely not long ago. It was just two years ago that Jackson believed he had reached the end of his career.
Los Angeles Clippers star Reggie Jackson opens up on quitting basketball
“So I decided to sign, and then we had the unfortunate ending — the 3-1 loss that we had against the Nuggets. And then after that, honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’m gonna play basketball,” Jackson told The Athletic.
“But my brother kind of talked some sense into me. It was a time during the pandemic where people unfortunately didn’t have jobs still. The job market was very brutal, so just the idea of coming back for another year and not knowing what was going on in the world and knowing I had some joy (for the game).”
This happened shortly after his season with the Clippers finished in 2020, following his mid-season decision to sign with them as a free agent. The Clippers’ season was cut short in the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers allowed the Nuggets to win three straight games after taking a dominating 3-1 series lead against Nikola Jokic and company in the Western Conference Semifinals.
In his first few months with the Clippers, Jackson did not exactly create a splash. That year, things ended in the worst conceivable way, prompting Jackson to reconsider his future in the sport. But, in the end, he chose to continue playing.
