LA CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 26, 2022

Reggie Jackson

Press Conference

Q. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan used to complain that home games felt like away games. What's your experience at home and playing in front of Clipper Nation?

REGGIE JACKSON: It's rowdy. It's amazing. Fans for us are great.

I think Clipper Nation is just, from players and fans, we're all going to be appreciative in two more years with what Steve is honestly doing. That may be the thing that feels like a road schedule is a schedule, and how many noon games you have, things like that.

But we still have to be professionals and we still have to take on the challenge of what's presented in front of us. Since I've been here, since before the pandemic, that 11-game stretch, and like I said coming back and fans getting back in the building, it's been amazing, the fan support.

We've always got our own personal mascot right here, the guy who carries the whole arena. I've heard him for eight plus seasons before I got here, Clipper Darrell. We all know what he does for the fan base, what he does for our team and our spirit.

With Chuck, what he's been doing, with how many more celebs we've been getting, T-Lue's calm demeanor. I think he's inviting for celebs and fans and all.

Of course things definitely (indiscernible) when you get two of the best players in the league in Paul and Kawhi. I feel like the Clippers have been building it, and the fans have been amazing. Like I said, you build it, they'll come.

So the rest of us showed up after the pairing of those two showed up. You know, I think Clipper Darrell is going to be an elite fan. We hope to have this place rocking. Crypto now, RP Staples. And then in the future we hope to have the new arena, Intuit, rocking.

We're always excited to play in front of our fans. I'm excited to see how many faces are y'all are in here. I know it's still new, different for everybody being here, but just seeing people -- socially distanced, I understand. People are just -- it's been inviting. It's been welcoming for me. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I'm happy to see y'all. Happy to see all the faces, and it's been a blast.

Yes, we have one of the best fan bases in sports.

Q. Besides fundamentals, great talent, and dedication to the game, it seems like to you, fun is a very important part of being successful. If it is, explain why.

REGGIE JACKSON: It definitely is. I remember some of my early years, OKC, we just had fun. We were very talented, but we enjoyed each other, had fun. Some tough years in Detroit. We let the season kind of dictate things. Great bunch, camaraderie was good, but we kind of let the season dictate the day-to-day if it was a good win or a bad loss, that was what dictated it. Going through my injuries and my time in Detroit and just my whole career so far, when I came here, year 10, that was the biggest thing to me.

When I re-signed up after the bubble year and after the pandemic, I sat down and everything about it, just appreciating the game, right, being appreciative, remembering, the same way I think -- it reminded me to wake up the same way, because every day somebody today unfortunately we all know who didn't wake up today. I count that as my first blessing. Another blessing is I get to do something I love to do. I've never worked a day in my life. I have a kid's job. I mean, I play a kid's game for a living. I'm able to take care of my family.

Yeah, we have stressors, we have things that hit us in life, especially RoCo and John touched on, there's definitely a mental health aspect to it. But I think I just take it as a half empty/half full, and that's how I kind of approach life again, started approaching this game, is whatever perspective is, if it's half, it's my perspective and it's always my intent. So I believe that's one of the biggest things in this life is intent is kind of -- that's all I can try to measure. You don't know the results. You never know what's going to happen, but if I intend to do something well, then I can live with that result.

It's all about the process. I enjoy the process. I enjoy waking up. I enjoy the tribulations of the game. I enjoy the downtimes, the hard moments in life. They suck while you're going through them, but I enjoy them because it lets me know I'm alive. That's biggest thing is to remind myself I'm still here, I'm still breathing, I'm still kicking, and from there I can accomplish and achieve anything.

Q. You obviously seem excited for the season. What makes you so excited, and would you say this is the deepest team you've been a part of in your career?

REGGIE JACKSON: I know, it's crazy. I'm excited, because yeah -- I'm excited to be back in this building. I'm excited to do what I love to do again. I'm excited it's a new season, that guys allow me to be here, so far healthfully allowed me to be here. Amazing group and amazing organization, honestly.

I don't know how many owners are showing up at media day, and hopefully y'all got to witness that, got a glance of it. Steve Ballmer is over here. I'm not sure if he took pics or not, but he has definitely walked through the stations, he is definitely amping us up. Just his humility and his inviting spirit and how happy he is. I think he's a beacon of light a lot of times as he reminds people that this life is about enjoyment.

I know we can look at his monetary success and everything he has in this world, but the biggest thing I believe is his spirit, and I think his spirit has carried him to be in a position that he is. Always look to him, kind of try to mirror that.

Really just excited about how deep we are as a team. Definitely the deepest team that I've been a part of, which is scary to say. I've played with three MVPs at the same time, so that's still crazy. Played with Serge, another at the time champion; Perk. I can name countless guys on the roster that I played with in OKC, and that team was pretty deep.

But in terms of our depth, guys' accomplishments, having positions filled, having length, having guys at the maturation level that we're at, and hopefully it continues through the season and it will show.

Because we know we're going to have our ups and downs. We know things are going to be thrown at us. We know the season is not easy. I think just where guys are at age-wise and mentally, and hopefully we get to show a level of maturity this year because we know we have so much talent. We know it could be anybody's night. We know Coach is going to put in a great system for us to play.

But yeah, that's the fun part is dealing with the ups and downs of the season and dealing with some guys having success some guys, other guys having tough nights, it flip flopping here and there. Some guys might be riding a wave of success, some guys might be riding a wave of what they feel is subpar play.

We stay the course and we continue to encourage each other, be happy for the next guy while picking yourself up. I've been sitting there probably for a month talking to my brother about this, like that is part of the excitement, too, is to know that on paper that everybody -- a lot of people probably choosing us and it looks good on paper. There have been many teams like that in the history of the game.

Always the fun part is the process of it. I can't wait. I obviously can't wait until -- I'm enjoying this media day right, now but I'm excited to get on the plane to see where people sit, where seats are at, what activity is going on, if Moussa is doing the right job, like if he's picked up everything he needs, too. I'm waiting to see all these personalities mesh, and I think that's what has me so excited.

Q. That kind of leads me to my next question. Could you break down the leadership with this team? From where I sit there are teams that have no leaders sometimes; there's teams that have one leader. I look at this team, you've got PG taking on an extended role; you've got Kawhi leading by example; I have you as kind of the spiritual emotional leader; Nicolas I've got Batum and kind of a wise old man. That's where I sit. I don't know how it is in that locker room. The benefits that you have and kind of what you were just touching on, how everybody meshes together, your view of that leadership and how it helps this team.

REGGIE JACKSON: You're with us all year. You've seen it. You can tell. You just touched on it perfectly.

I think for us who have been here the last couple years, it's been great. It's been fun to grow with this group since my time being here, to watch us all grow. Maturity level, to see on things of us having summer camps working out, Paul taking on that leadership, getting guys together, making sure guys are working out, making sure we're ready to go.

Kawhi always going to be the hardest worker always. He likes to lead by example. But his voice he's using more. I know people got to see a little more even when he was in Toronto and since his time being here, but he's become, interestingly enough, a vocal leader for us.

He implements himself when need be, says the right things at the right times.

We have Marcus who's going to be fun bringing in, John. You've got guys that are veterans. Even Norm who's been more vocal this summer. Terance is coming into his own. Like I said, myself and my whole thing is to wake up happy and just to bring happy spirits to the group and try to keep as much negativity away from us as possible.

But when we have leaders, like I said, at the very top in Steve Ballmer and then you've got guys like Lawrence Frank, when you have Michael Winger, when you have Tyronn Lue over here who's already checking in on Zub, making sure things are good. Him flying out to see Nico and being in constant touch with Zub, reaching out to me here and there, it's like, it starts for us it's top to bottom.

I think with the great leaders that we have in our front office, great leaders that we have, coaches, they've encouraged us and it's allowed us to grow into our own, and I think it's going to be a collective whole.

That's the thing is we're not forcing anybody to lead. We're just -- the biggest thing here is I think we force you to be yourself. Like that is one thing we want everybody here to be unforgivingly themselves. I think once you start doing that you kind of -- everybody leads in their own way, and they lead in different aspects.

And that's been the biggest thing that I think I've gotten to see out of our group of guys this summer, especially being here in the gym a lot with the young guys. Already seeing their maturation level, already seeing them not afraid to get on guys. I'm going into my 12th year. I got guys like Terance and Amir calling me out on my BS at times.

You definitely don't want to throw the veteran card out there, but I'm like, oh, snap, okay, I was slacking. I do feel good. You don't feel just like you can't say anything anymore. You have skin in the game, so you know what it looks like.

And that's the biggest thing is I think it's going to be fun, because of course the guys coming back, we're going to have to figure out how to fit them in. Coach is going to do a great job with it. Looking to see the maturity level of the young guys, as well. I just can't wait to see it all mesh.

Q. I was wondering, what is it about this organization that's been kind of a rejuvenation station for players who have been counted out over the years, yourself, Batum, RoCo, and now people are expecting the best to be brought out of John Wall, as well. How do they do that here?

REGGIE JACKSON: Sorry, me and Zub. You already know Zub. You. You. I like you, though.

I think, like I said, the biggest thing I'd probably say is being unforgivingly -- Marcus, my fault. I think the biggest thing that people revamp themselves here, is top to bottom, like I said, great organization. They're making sure they take care of things for you physically, so medically, training table, all that, food.

We have top-notch everything. But the biggest thing is that man over there, T-Lue is walking by. But I think, like I said, this is an organization that kind of forces you to be unforgivingly yourself.

When we do that, they've done a great job of vetting everybody out and putting a great group together, but even from look -- it's funny, when I first got here us playing together in Detroit, he was harping on me, cussing me out I know early in my first year about just being myself, and same with Paul.

I think that's where a lot of our success comes from, that they're going to force you. This group is going to force you to be yourself. They're going to force you to work your way into the group, and then we're going to accept you for who you are.

But the first thing normally when you get here is everybody wants to figure out who you really are, and they're going to make you be you.

But big brother said I've got to go, so y'all have a great one. See y'all soon.