LeBron James, with the help of Jay Z, got the last laugh against Phil Jackson on Monday night.
Jackson irked the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar last month when he referred to James’ circle of friends as his “posse,” a term that upset James’ longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter.
“You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland,” James told ESPN’s Jackie McMullan last month.
Carter took exception, as did James, who claimed he lost respect for Jackson after the comments.
Sports Illustrated honored James with the Sportsperson of the Year Award on Monday, and Jay Z introduced the Cleveland Cavaliers star. In doing so, the rapper/mogul took a shot a Jackson.
“We know where we come from. We do understand where we come from,” Jay Z said, per ESPN.com. “The only difference between us and someone who has their MBA from Wharton or Sloan or Berkeley or Stanford is opportunity. LeBron James has provided his friends with that opportunity, and we’ve witnessed their development. And if we’re to look up at the scoreboard, very few businessmen are better than Maverick Carter, Rich Paul, Randy Mims and all the rest of the posse behind the scenes that make it look like they’re just hanging out.”
James got the last laugh on the court, too. He led the Cavs to a convincing 126-94 win over Jackson’s Knicks last week in New York, scoring 25 points in just 32 minutes.
