Stephen Jackson Speaks Out About Murder Of ‘Best Friend’ George Floyd

Stephen Jackson's fight for justice in the killing of George Floyd — an unarmed black man who was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer — is deeply personal.

In an interview with the Today show, the retired NBA star spoke about his close relationship with George, who he called his best friend and twin, as well as his ongoing pursuit of justice for his murder.

"We always hung together. Every time I went to Houston, it was my first stop, to stop and pick him up," Stephen said, sharing that their friendship first blossomed when they met while growing up in Texas.

"Once we saw each other, the first question we asked: 'Who your daddy?' 'Who your daddy?' And it went from there," he said.

Stephen went on to speak of Floyd's character, saying, "What’s killing me the most about this whole thing is, being a professional athlete, so many people abuse your friendship and your kindness. And he was one of those guys that genuinely supported me. He didn’t call unless he really needed it. And you don’t have many people that genuinely support you without any motives. And Floyd was that guy."

The NBA vet additionally opened up about the moment he found out his best friend was murdered by police officers.

"My girlfriend’s mom is from Minnesota, and we talk about these types of things all the time. And she sends me videos all the time," he began. "So, I was actually asleep on the couch with my daughter. And she sent me the video. And I looked at the video, and I was thinking it was just another video that she was sending me – another black man getting murdered by the police. And I didn’t really pay attention to it."

Stephen continued, "As I clicked out of the message, I had 50 messages, and I clicked on one of them from my friend Mike D. And he said, 'You see what they did to your twin in Minnesota?' And I jumped up, screamed, scared my daughter. Almost broke my hand punching stuff, because I was so mad. Because I’m the type of guy – I get mad, and I get into a full face of tears when I see a homeless man on the street that I can’t help. So, let alone, my best friend on TV for the world to see getting killed over a fraud charge off a fake 20-dollar bill, it just destroyed me. I haven’t been the same since I’ve seen it."

The former NBA star concluded the interview in tears as he proclaimed that George's name will live on forever. "We are going to get change. Change is going to start with George Floyd," he said.

Photo: Getty Images


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