Reggie Jackson Says NBA Draft Isn’t Fixed

In a phone interview with NewsOk.com, rookie Reggie Jackson squashes all talk that the Oklahoma City Thunder promised him that they’d Draft him: “The day before the draft, Sports Illustrated reported that the Thunder had given Jackson a promise, citing speculation among numerous league executives. Other rumors had Jackson linked to Miami, which owned the 31st overall pick in the second round. It was never clear whether the Heat promised Jackson and triggered the Thunder to snatch him up earlier, whether the Thunder promised Jackson and stuck to its guns or whether it was all hogwash. The man himself says it was the latter. ‘The speculation helped me, I guess, in getting drafted where I was,’ Jackson said in a telephone interview. ‘I understand this whole promise thing and (the way) everybody looks at it. But draft night is crazy. If everybody knew the draft (beforehand) I don’t think people would show up to New York to watch it. I don’t think people would tune in to watch it…I had no idea where I was going just like the next guy.’ The part where conspiracy theorists feast is when Jackson shut down all private workouts and interviews shortly after a workout in Oklahoma City. Jackson pulled the plug on his other stops because of a knee injury, leading many to think it was simply a smokescreen. But Jackson swears it was legitimate. ‘After a workout for Oklahoma City, I came back and played pickup at my school,’ Jackson said. ‘My knee, normally I could feel it tweaking, but it always got better. But it got worse. I went to the doctor and found out I couldn’t go for about a month.'”