Stephen Jackson slammed NBA for hypocrisy after 2009 trade request fine: “Kobe said the same thing two years ago and didn’t get a fine” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In the NBA, superstar calls are a familiar phenomenon. But as Stephen Jackson pointed out in 2009, this preferential treatment extends far beyond the court.
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At the time, Jackson was fined $25,000 for publicly requesting a trade from the Golden State Warriors. However, what angered him wasn’t just the fine — it was the double standard.
“Kobe [Bryant] said the same thing two years ago and didn’t get a fine, but we’re not going to beat a dead horse,” remarked the forward, per ESPN.
Jackson wanted out — and didn’t hold back
During the 2009 NBA offseason, Jackson and his buddy, former teammate Al Harrington, attended a shoe company event. Not the usual place to drop a trade request, right? Well, “Cap’n Jack” did — and the news quickly reached Dime Magazine in New York City.
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“I mean, you gotta hear it some way,” the mercurial swingman later said, defending how he went about his trade request. “You want me to send you an e-mail, Facebook or something? I’m a grown man, I have six kids, I’m married now, so I speak my mind.”
ESPN reported that “some Warriors executives and fans were caught off guard” by Jackson’s desire to leave after two and a half years with the team. The Texas native later shared his reasons with the media.
“It feels like we’re not getting better. It’s no disrespect to guys on the team. I love all the guys on the team and I’m not saying the job couldn’t get done with them, but at the same time I came into this game a winner and I want to continue to be a winner,” he emphasized.
Same plea, different response
There was definite truth in Jackson’s explanation for wanting out.
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Arriving in the Bay Area in January 2007 as an overlooked player, he quickly became the Warriors’ top scorer, best defender and spark who helped end a 13-year playoff drought. Still, despite his impact, the team had stalled since their 2007 second-round exit.
Having already won a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, Stephen wanted a real shot at another title. Naturally, he looked to join a contender. Reports linked him to the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and all three Texas teams — the Spurs, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.
Sound familiar? It indeed mirrors Bryant‘s story.
After leading the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships, the basketball icon grew frustrated as the franchise declined without providing him adequate support — until he reached his breaking point.
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“I would like to be traded. And as tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there’s no other alternative,” Bryant told Stephen A. Smith during a public interview in May 2007.
Bryant and Jackson publicly voiced their desire to be traded — an act banned by league rules. The key difference? One was an undisputed superstar; the other was not. That gap likely shaped how the NBA, then led by Commissioner David Stern, handled their trade requests.
“I thought I had freedom of speech,” Jackson said at the time. “But obviously, I don’t.”
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.