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“Cop-Out:” ESPN Announcer Calls Out ESPN The Magazine During Broadcast

Former NBA player and current ESPN color commentator Mark Jackson had some strong words for ESPN the Magazine, and, more specifically, their “Player X” feature on Kevin Garnett.

In case you’re just joining us, “Player X” is a regular column written by an anonymous NBA player that dishes on a variety of locker room topics (a previous piece, on athlete infidelity, drew quite a bit of attention). During the most recent “Player X” column, Garnett was characterized as a “punk” and a “coward.”

Jackson was not amused.

“I think it’s a cop-out, as a magazine, to give a source and not give the name,” Jackson said during yesterday’s Celtics/Knicks telecast on ABC. “If you’re going to attack Kevin Garnett in that way, then put a name to it or don’t write it. It’s not fair to Kevin Garnett.”

In addition to doing ABC games, Jackson also announces games for ESPN. Both ABC and ESPN are owned by the Walt Disney Company.

Here’s video of Jackson’s comments.