A break from politics to appreciate the greatest man alive…Oh, Stephen. After reading this, I feel inspired. Many players fall off the national consciousness a mere half-decade post retirement. Quickly, they are forgotten altogether. We see the legions of good players in blurred, grainy narratives. The narratives are about guys like Chamberlain or MJ–not dudes like Charles Oakley or Sam Cassell. And certainly not dudes like Stephen Jackson. God I hope we don’t forget about Jack. There’s something about him that transcends basketball. It’s almost as if he embodies the spirit of the East Bay. The tough guy. The underdog. The “misunderstood” eccentric. Who better to represent Oakland than a loveable nutcase who constantly teeters on the precipice of violent eruption?

I don’t mean to make violence seem endearing. But his lack of common sense is just so damned loveable. Jack’s more benign outbursts (non-violent referee squabbles, mostly) have such a child-like petulance to them. When you see that pleading, crazed grimace… Well, it’s impossible to really hate the guy. Ironically, only Tim Duncan has a similar aura when it comes to call-arguing. His questionable forays into packed lanes, his bad shots at the beginning of possessions, these are the things that would make you hate a player. Jack somehow rises above the bad decisions. Paradoxically, they seem to almost fuel his unique game. The lack of common sense befuddles the opponent. If Jack folds on pocket aces, then what the hell is he going to do next?

And like Baron, he has a rare ability to feed off a crowd. In the Bruce Lee spirit, Jackson is not one to think–he’s one to feel. SJ tapped into Oracle’s crazed spirit en route to hitting a gazillion consecutive robotic threes against the Mavericks. Maybe I’m getting a bit hyperbolic here, but that game was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

Well Jack has played a big part in keeping me attached to the NBA. David Stern’s senility threatens to destroy everything I love about the game, but this Warriors team is a reminder of why I fell for basketball in the first place. The squad’s spontaneity, charisma, and character would not exist without the Strip Club Shooter. As a UCB student, I should be lauding the efforts of Nobel laureates. Screw that, I’ve found few famous figures more compelling. It’s why we dumbly incorporated him into a fucking political cartooning website. Thanks, Stephen. You make the Bay proud. We won’t forget ya anytime soon.

This was originally posted at the most unstoppable website of all time.