Stephen Jackson Fined $25K by NBA For Hostile Tweet About Serge Ibaka
San Antonio Spurs' Stephen Jackson was fined a whopping $25,000 by the NBC Sunday for a "hostile statement" and tweet the forward sent to Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka on Twitter to defend his friend Metta World Peace.
"Somebody tel serg Abaka. He aint bout dis life. Next time he run up on me im goin in his mouth. That's a promise. He doin 2 much," Jackson tweeted.
The Spurs forward made the Twitter post after Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers and Ibaka both received technical fouls for a run-in during a game Friday.
Stephen Jackson has since deleted the tweet and apologized to Ibaka and the NBA.
"I apologize to Serge Ibaka, the NBA, and to all my fans for the comments I made," said Jackson over Twitter. "It was unprofessional and childish. I'm not a thug just a man who speaks his mind. It was not appropriate. I do apologize. Only a man can admit when he's wrong.
Still, the NBA is upholding his $25,000 fine. The spurs also apologized for Jackson's tweet, calling it "unacceptable."
"The recent public comments made by Stephen Jackson are absolutely unacceptable, cannot be tolerated and do not reflect the standards held by the San Antonio Spurs," Spurs general manager RC Buford said in a statement.
This is not the first time Jackson has come to the defense of the player formerly known as Ron Artest. When they were teammates for the Indiana Pacers, Jackson defended Metta World Peace for the 2004 "Malice at the Palace" brawl in Detroit via Twitter.