Memphis Grizzlies star GG Jackson II played like a veteran in his rookie season, averaging 14.6 points per game. So it’s easy to forget he is still only 19 years old.
Anyone who had any doubts the 6-foot-9 forward is still just a big kid at heart should have seen him during an appearance Friday on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.
Co-host Lou Williams asked Jackson if it were true that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had pinched him during a game.
Jackson seemed momentarily surprised by the question, then became animated.
“Yes, right here,” he said, lifting up his shirt to show the scene of the crime.
“I was,” Jackson began, then paused. He looked around, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “Excuse me, I gotta check my mama, I gotta check my mama.” He glanced around the room again, like a kid getting ready to crack open the cookie jar.
“I was busting his a**!” Jackson said, when he knew Mom wasn’t around to chastise him. “I was busting his a**.”
With the bad words out of the way, Jackson continued his story.
“I kept coming off, shooting quick 3s, so when Pat Beverley subbed into the game, (Antetokounmpo) said, ‘Nah, I got him, I got him,” Jackson said.
“I blew by him … anytime I moved, he would just grab my side and squeeze so hard, it hurt so bad.”
It’s somewhat refreshing to see a player — or anyone for that matter — still wary of using bad language. Just the other night, most of the fans in Madison Square Garden seemed to be chanting, “F*** you,” at former Knicks-killer turned TNT analyst Reggie Miller. And Knicks star Josh Hart came over to Miller to tell him, on a live mic, “I think they’re saying ‘F*** you.'”
[FanDuel TV Run It Back]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.