"I'd hit that out the park" - Mark Jackson's hilarious Savannah James comments resurface following ESPN announcer's firing
Mark Jackson made headlines on Monday after ESPN fired him even though he still has two years left in his contract. Fans dug deep into Jackson's career on air and found the hilarious comments he made about LeBron James' wife Savannah during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
In the video below, Jeff Van Gundy shared a fun fact about Savannah's career as a softball pitcher in high school. Van Gundy explained that Savannah had a nice sinker and fastball while noting that he and Mike Breen are wondering if Jackson can finally hit something off his bat.
"We had this running debate whether Mark could put into play against an average major league baseball player 1 out of 10," Van Gundy said.
"Sean McNally, the great Pittsburgh Pirates scout said, 'No way.' I don't think Mark can put into play 1 out of 10 against Savannah because of her sunker."
Jackson replied:
"I'm shocked you downplay Savannah. He said she's All-City. And I'd hit that out of the park, no question with all due respect."
It was a hilarious exchange between Jackson and Van Gundy, who were both fired by ESPN in the last two months. The duo, along with Mike Breen, called 15 NBA Finals together, but that era has ended.
Breen will continue working for the network and call NBA games. He will be joined by Doris Burke and Doc Rivers, who will replace Jackson and Van Gundy respectively in the broadcast booth.
While Jackson's comments can be taken out of context, they were talking about softball. However, the former Golden State Warriors coach has been used as a meme on Twitter whenever it's about thirsty comments.
Mark Jackson after hearing Sonya Curry is single pic.twitter.com/gk0RZyZ1Lk
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Mark Jackson reacts to ESPN firing
Mark Jackson released a statement a few hours after ESPN announced that they were cutting ties with him. Jackson felt "shocked and dismayed" by the network's decision to fire him. However, he still took the high road and showed his gratitude to ESPN.
"I would like to thank ESPN and all the staff of the NBA ESPN crew for allowing me to be a part of the organization for the past 15+ years," Jackson said.
"I would also like to thank the NBA fans watching at home and in arenas throughout the league for all of your support. To the NBA, a heartfelt thank you for allowing a kid to continue to accomplish his dreams."
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Mark Jackson also gave a shoutout to his longtime broadcasting partners Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen.
It will be interesting to see what's next for Jackson. He likely has several options like joining a different network, launching a podcast or returning to coaching in the NBA or even in college.
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