Stephen Jackson outlined the five characteristics that a player must possess in order to be referred to as a “hooper” in a soliloquy to his supporters. Additionally, he distinguished between hoopers and scorers in basketball. Many others, including Shaquille O’Neal, concurred with this assessment.
In a video that was uploaded to Instagram, Jackson is heard outlining the qualities of a player that define him as a “hooper.” The 2003 NBA champion said that in order to win, a player needs to compete, play defense, score, and contain their opponent. A person can be a “hooper” if they can perform each of these five duties.
Jackson stated: “Hoopers compete, they play defense, they score, and they go down and stop they man, and they win,”
Shaquille O’Neal agrees with Stephen Jackson over hooper requirements
Stack distinguished between a “hooper” and a “scorer” in the same video, saying that the latter did not play hard on defense or improve his teammates. As a result, Stack said he did not appreciate them.
Jackson came to a conclusion: “There’s a lot of players that came to the NBA that can score points that didn’t have long careers. It’s just the truth. But everybody is not a hooper. A lot of your favorite scorers very scared, they were soft, they didn’t compete on defense, they ain’t trynna stop nobody, and they didn’t make nobody better, and they didn’t win sh*t,”
In just a few days after it was uploaded, the video had nearly 50,000 views. The fact that Shaq posted it on his Instagram Stories contributed to its popularity.
Shaq on his IG story pic.twitter.com/r7v7Ebrwwz
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) September 9, 2024
Stack’s viewpoint is valid, though. Although spectators typically idolize high scorers, the majority of players who play in the NBA for extended periods of time are hoopers who make winning plays. An excellent illustration would be the Milwaukee Bucks, who completely destroyed their defensive framework by trading for Damian Lillard in exchange for Jrue Holiday. Shaq and Jackson therefore agree that young players should focus on hoops.
