Stephen Jackson returned to the San Antonio Spurs’ lineup on Monday against the New Orleans Hornets after missing a game with a sprained 
ankle.
His injury was one of the more bizarre ones in the NBA. Jackson sprained his ankle when he fell over a waitress who was serving New York mayor Michael Bloomberg on the sideline at Madison Square Garden during the Spurs game against the Knicks.
However, during a press conference earlier this week, Bloomberg insists he was more than just an innocent bystander.
“He didn’t fall on her,” Bloomberg revealed. “He came close and I just pushed him a little bit.”
Now, I think the mayor was just having a little joke at Jackson’s expense (a very cruel joke since Jax was injured), because if you look at the video, it really does look like the Spurs’ small forward just fell backwards. From that angle, Bloomberg would have had to get up and run onto the court to push Jackson back into the waitress. So I think he was just having a little fun with reporters, trying to play the role of covert Knicks operative.
Whether Bloomberg pushed him or not, the Knicks do need to address their courtside beverage service policies. Coach Gregg Popovich has come up with a very simple solution.
“It seems logical that while the play is going on you try to order a little less beer and when the plays stops, order whatever you want,” Popovich said. “While the play is going on, it would be nice to have all the lanes free.”
Luckily it wasn’t a serious injury for Jackson, who was only out for a couple of days, but any bizarre accident like that always could have been a lot worse. Hopefully the Knicks are training their waitresses how to be a little more careful from now on.
