Former NBA champ Stephen Jackson didn’t sugarcoat his feelings about Gayle King after the co-host of “CBS Mornings” ruffled some feathers over her interview with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
Taking to his Instagram Saturday, Jackson called King “trash” and accused her of “demeaning” Staley in the April 7 interview after the undefeated Gamecocks beat Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes to win the 2024 NCAA women’s title earlier this month.
Jackson explained that he took issue with King telling Staley during the interview that “we were all cheering for Iowa, of course, and Caitlin Clark,” but she and South Carolina won the hearts of so many people.
Warning: Graphic Language
“So, Gayle King’s supposed to be somebody that’s big in the journalism space, right?” Jackson, 46, began in the video, which was posted to his Instagram feed. “And I don’t consider her Black media. Y’all give her all these passes because she’s Oprah’s friend. I don’t give a f–k whose friend she is.
“… But you cannot demean Dawn Staley like that. You’re talking to her about winning the championship, about going undefeated. And you have the nerve to get on there and say, ‘We was rooting for Caitlin Clark and you broke everybody’s hearts.’
“Who is ‘we’? Who is ‘we’? All the Black people I know was rooting for Dawn Staley. We’re all fans of Caitlin Clark, but the way you put it, that s–t was trash.
“I’m glad it’s a new day in the media space… You don’t even say stuff like that to somebody on an interview. You just demeaned her and made it about Caitlin Clark. That’s trash, super trash.”
Jackson — a former guard, who played for eight teams in his 14-season career — is the co-host of the “All the Smoke” podcast with fellow former NBA champ Matt Barnes as part of All The Smoke Productions.
King, 69, faced some backlash for her interview with Staley.
One person called it a “bulls–t statement” by King.
“She owes Dawn Staley an apology,” another person wrote on X, including Jackson’s video.
King has yet to address Jackson’s comments as of Monday afternoon — nor has Staley.
The Basketball Hall of Famer is on cloud nine after she and the Gamecocks received a personal gift and congratulatory card from Beyonce after coaching the them to their second title in three years.
Staley also praised Clark for playing a major role in helping grow the women’s game at the college level after the championship game.
Separately, King made headlines when CNN canceled her weekly talk show with Charles Barkley, “King Charles” last week.
