- Former NBA player Stephen Jackson promised to take care of Gianna Floyd, the daughter of
George Floyd , at a press conference in Minneapolis. - Jackson was a close friend of Floyd and had referred to him as his "twin" in a previous speech.
- "I'm going to walk her down the aisle," Jackson said. "I'm going to be there for her, I'm going to be there to wipe your tears."
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was a close friend of George Floyd, has vowed to take care of Floyd's six-year-old daughter Gianna.
Jackson, who referred to Floyd as his "twin," has been offering powerful statements to media and demonstrators since Floyd was killed last week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for his life.
At a press conference at Minneapolis city hall on Tuesday, Jackson vowed to take care of Floyd's daughter Gianna, while addressing her mother Roxie Washington.
"Why is it not that simple when someone is on video getting murdered? Why is it not that simple?" Jackson asked. "Why do we have to see her pain? Why do we have to see a daughter get raised without her father?"
"But you know what, there's a lot of stuff you said that he's going to miss, that I'm going to be there for," Jackson said, turning to Washington. "I'm going to walk her down the aisle, I'm going to be there for her, I'm going to be there to wipe your tears. You hear what I'm saying? I'm going to be here for you and Gigi."
He continued:
"Floyd might not be here, but I'm here for her. I'm here to get justice, and we're going to get justice for my brother. We're not leaving. We're going to keep fighting. We're going to send my brother home in beautiful ways this week. But I'm telling you, we're not leaving, we're demanding justice, and I'm tired of seeing that. I'm not going to see her hurt every day like this. We need justice, we demand it, and some kind of way goddammit we're going to get it. Thank you all for coming, but this s--- has to stop, man. It has to stop."
—ESPN (@espn) June 3, 2020
Jackson is already doing his part to keep that promise.
At a demonstration in Minneapolis, Jackson carried Gianna on his shoulders. "Daddy changed the world!" said Gianna.
—SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 3, 2020
Jackson has been vocal in his calls for justice since Floyd's death last Monday and has been joined by voices from around the
At an earlier demonstration in Minneapolis, Jackson was joined by fellow NBA players, including Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Okogie of the Minnesota Timberwolves, as well as Gary Trent Jr. and Royce White, both Minnesota natives. Additionally, several NBA players marched with protesters over the weekend.
- Read more:
'We have had enough': Michael Jordan calls for change in statement on the death of George Floyd