Mark Jackson played in the NBA for multiple teams from 1987 to 2004, and would go on to become a head coach and a broadcaster after his career had concluded.
NBA fans know that, but you’d be surprise to know that not a lot of people knew that he was the older brother of Troy ‘Escalade’ Jackson, who was a streetball legend. In 2011, Mark lost his brother from a tragic death.
During a recent episod of Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe — Jackson spoke about their upbringing, how his brother got so big, and how proud he was of him.
Troy weighed almost close to 500-pounds, but his size never got in the way of him entertaining on the court as a member of the And1 mixtape tour when he joined back in 2002.
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In February of 2011, Troy died in his sleep. The cause of his death was hypertensive heart disease. He passed away during All-Star weekend at the age of 35.
Jackson was the 18th pick of the 1987 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, where he would go on to play for a bevy of teams that included the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets. In 2011, he was hired as the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors, but was fired in 2014 despite him leading the franchise to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in over 20 years. Many believe he has been blackballed from coaching because of his views on homosexuality.
Jackson has become well loved as a broadcast commentator for ESPN and ABC alongside his former coach Jeff Van Gundy and play-by-play man Mike Breen.
