It was bound to be awkward, but Mark Jackson added a note of intrigue to his return to Oracle Arena by indirectly tooting his own horn with the development of the Golden State Warriors.
Jackson, who spent three years as the Warriors' coach before the organization fired him after last season, returned to their home arena in return to ESPN as an analyst during the Warriors 112-94 win over the LeBron James-less Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors are 29-5 on the season under first-year head coach Steve Kerr, which Jackson acknowledged during the telecast. But Jackson added that Kerr wasn't the only one who should be mentioned for the product the franchise now is putting on the court.
"Steve Kerr has done an outstanding job," Jackson said during the broadcast, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News. "He deserves a lot of credit. I think while giving him credit, there's no need to take credit away from the past. You cannot disrespect the caterpillar and rave about the butterfly."
To be fair, Jackson also said all the right things about how the organization was built when he was aboard.
"It wasn't just about me," he said on the air. "It was about ownership. It was about management. It was about these players. It was about my coaching staff. I'm extremely proud. It's great memories. Absolutely great memories."
Another memory was added during the middle of the first quarter when he was acknowledged during the first quarter and a camera shot of him appeared on the overhead scoreboard.
The Golden State crowd gave Jackson a standing ovation as Warriors Steph Curry and Draymond Green joined in the applause in an Instagram video posted on USA TODAY Sports' For the Win.
Which prompted Jackson to say one more comment about his time with the team.
"Incredible blessing," Jackson said on the national telecast. "I'm humbled by the support of the fans and the reaction. Three years ago, this was a team that had a history of losing. To think right now to be a legitimate team to win it all, I'm extremely proud."
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