Indiana guard Stephen Jackson believes the NBA's new ban on bling-bling is racially motivated but says he will abide by the rules.
The NBA has announced that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the season. Players will be required to wear business-casual attire when involved in team or league business. They can't wear visible chains, pendants or medallions over their clothes.
Jackson, who is black, said the NBA's new rule about jewelry targets young black males because chains are associated with hip-hop culture, and he said the league is afraid of becoming "too hip-hop." In protest, he wore four chains to the Pacers' exhibition game against San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce agreed that the new rule targeted young, black players.
"When I saw the part about chains, hip hop and throwback jerseys, I think that's part of our culture," Pierce said. "The NBA is young black males."
Philadelphia's Allen Iverson also was critical of the new rule, which the NBA made teams aware of in a memo Monday.
"I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay for our clothes," he said. "It's just tough, man, knowing that all of a sudden you have to have a dress code out of nowhere. I don't think that's still going to help the image of the league at all."
Added Golden State guard Jason Richardson: "They want to sway away from the hip-hop generation. You think of hip-hop right now and think of things that happen like gangs having shootouts in front of radio stations."
Richardson added that nicer clothing wasn't necessarily the best way to determine the character of the players.
"You still wear a suit, you still could be a crook," Richardson said in Oakland, Calif. "You see all what happened with Enron and Martha Stewart. Just because you dress a certain way doesn't mean you're that way.
"Hey, a guy could come in with baggy jeans, a do-rag and have a Ph.D., and a person who comes in with a suit could be a three-time felon. So, it's not what you wear, it's how you present yourself."
Jackson defended his actions on Wednesday, but said he won't allow his feelings to cause a distraction once the regular season starts.
"They don't want your chains to be out, all gaudy and shiny. But that's the point of them," he said. "I love wearing my jewelry. But I love my job. I love playing basketball more than I love getting fined and getting suspended."
Jackson said he had enough problems last year, when he was suspended for 30 games for his role in the November melee between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in Auburn Hills, Mich.
"You have to listen to the people who employ you," he said. "The people who are paying us make the rules. You need to abide by the rules or don't work. I want to work."
Pierce, who said the matter should have been brought to the players' association for a vote, said there are times he may not follow the rule.
"I dress how I feel anyway," he said. "I think I'm just going to continue to dress how I feel. I think there's some days I may take a fine."
Jackson first made his displeasure with the new rule a public matter on Tuesday. He said he hasn't heard from the league office, and doesn't expect to.
"I still have freedom of speech, don't I?" he said. "I didn't disrespect anybody by saying it, so I can say what I want to say."
JORDAN TALKS ABOUT HIS GAMBLING: Michael Jordan admits being "stupid" in his gambling, but never jeopardized his livelihood or his family, he told CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday.
Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles in the 1990s, said his gambling is related to his fierce competitiveness. But he realized when he stepped over the line.
"Yeah, I've gotten myself into (gambling) situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope," Jordan said in the interview.
"It's very embarrassing . . . one of the things you totally regret. So you look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'I was stupid.' "
Jordan discusses his love of basketball, his father's murder and his pursuit of privacy. He also addressed critics who expected him to be more political and outspoken.
"It's heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody," he said. "My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can."
Jordan has a new book titled "Driven from Within."
NEW CHARLOTTE ARENA: After more than five years of political angst, Charlotte is ready to take the wrapper off a $265 million downtown arena that will be home to the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats.
And the officials who helped design the building believe they have a winner.
"I think this building, not only from a budget standpoint but also from an aesthetic standpoint, is the best (arena) in the country," building chief operating officer Barry Silberman said Wednesday as the media toured the arena two blocks from the center of downtown Charlotte.
Mayor Pat McCrory and Bobcats owner Bob Johnson are to officially open Charlotte Bobcats Arena at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. The Rolling Stones headline the first arena event Friday, while the Bobcats open their home schedule Nov. 5 against the Boston Celtics.