David Fizdale's firing put Chandler Parsons and Stephen Jackson at odds

DJ Dunson
BIG3 - Week Nine
Stephen Jackson may be retired, but he is always ready for a fight. (Photo by Christian Petersen/BIG3/Getty Images)

Stephen Jackson stood up for deposed Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale on Instagram in the most authentically Stephen Jackson way possible; by igniting an unnecessary feud. Even in retirement Jackson finds confrontation like a heat-seeking missile.

In the aftermath of Fizdale’s firing, Jackson joined the majority of NBA insiders who expressed confusion about Memphis’ decision. Inexplicably, Jackson decided to laser in on forward Chandler Parsons to prove his point. Just so there’s no ambiguity, Jackson included “Fire Chandler Parsons” in the caption of his post. Oddly enough, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley were conspicuously missing from his Instagram polemic.

S/O Coach Fizdale u can’t want it more than the players u coach. Can’t go to war with no soldiers. How u expect him to win with no dogs on his team and PG hurt. Fixed fight if u tell me. Fire chandler Parsons. #GBG Truth Hurts.

A post shared by Stephen Jackson (@_stak5_) on Nov 27, 2017 at 4:03pm PST

Parsons already receives plenty of grief for the $94 million contract he inked last summer from Memphis fans and eagerly leapt to his own defense by appealing to Jackson’s sensibilities as a a member of the NBA fraternity.

Unfortunately, empathy is not Jackson’s strong suit and he wasn’t hearing any of it. Jackson slapped away Parsons’ olive branch and dove deeper into his criticism of the Grizzlies forward.

This is not a beef. I have passion for the game and I Love this game. I hate to see it not appreciated. I hate to see a good coach get fired bkuz he cares more than the players. Facts. All basketball players ain’t kool I can count my NBA Real brothers on my hands. Facts. Not a yes man. #GBG it ain’t just him. It a lot that don’t care. Respect it or check it. Love to all. Get healthy though @chandlerparsons.

A post shared by Stephen Jackson (@_stak5_) on Nov 27, 2017 at 6:03pm PST

Jackson should have known this was coming. Parsons lives inside Instagram comment sections. Conversely, Parsons also have known better than to appeal to the emotional side of the man who once choked out Steve Francis and who added Kevin Durant to a growing list of NBA colleagues he openly despises.