Kicked Out of ESPN, Mark Jackson Was Ambushed by “Offended” Podcast Giants With Tempting Offer

If one door closes, another one opens — Mark Jackson got to experience this saying, thanks to a duo of rappers. The stars in the discussion are none other than Cam’ron Giles aka Cam and Mason Betha aka Mase. In a recent episode on Sway’s Universe, Jackson opened up on how the two rappers extended their hand after ESPN fired him.

As per the former New York Knicks star, Cam and Mase were more “offended” by the firing than he was. “They put an ambush on me… Initially, it was, no… But, no, they doubled back and tripled back,” Jackson stated on the podcast. He had opened up about his firing from ESPN last year with a post on X.

Although he admitted being shocked and dismayed, the ex-Knicks star still thanked the network for the opportunity. “May they continue to elevate this game that has given me a home and a life. I leave ESPN with nothing but gratitude,” read a part of his post. However, a significant highlight was Mark Jackson expressing gratitude to his co-anchors on ESPN — Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy.

Notably, multiple media reports have so far stated ESPN formed its decision to remove Jackson after Gundy’s departure from the network. Apparently, the network believed the NBA All-Star best paired with him. Whatever the reason may have been, it clearly didn’t seem right to Cam and Mase. However, Jackson himself was doubtful of the partnership with the two rappers, as admitted by him recently on Sway’s Universe.

“And I remember specifically, Cam said, ‘… look, you’re Mark Jackson. If we mess up Mark Jackson or screw you over, we can’t go back to New York City,’” the ex-Knicks star recalled his conversation with Cam. And thus started the partnership with Jackson’s involvement in the It Is What It Is podcast on Come And Talk 2 Me. The parent company for the podcast, was founded by Cam and Mase.

The story of collaboration with Mark Jackson from Cam’s perspective

Renowned for his dynamic shift from music to sports media, Cam’ron quickly saw an opportunity when he learned of Jackson’s departure from ESPN. Frustrated by how the ex-NBA star got treated, he felt compelled to reach out, as stated by him in an episode of All the Smoke.

On the podcast, the 48-year-old rapper candidly shared, “I got tired of what the f*** they were doing to Mark… I’m like, ‘Mark, you could make some bread with this podcast s***”. But even Cam admitted that despite his enthusiasm, Jack was initially hesitant, questioning Cam’s motives for the collaboration.

But Cam wasn’t backing down. “I told him, ‘Bro, where in America am I gonna go if I rob Mark Jackson?’” he recalled on the podcast. As per the reports, the rapper even took the step of offering a quarter-million dollars upfront to show his seriousness. And it seems the partnership developed on a tremendous note for Jackson even launched his Mark Jackson Show on Cam and Mase’s Come And Talk 2 Me. 

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.