Former Spurs champion says rejecting San Antonio's $10M offer was a huge mistake

Former Spurs champion Stephen Jackson expressed regret over declining the team's $10 million contract offer in a recent interview. Jackson, who had just led the Spurs to a championship, believed he deserved a more substantial payday and wanted to secure a larger deal elsewhere. Looking back, he admits that rejecting the three-year, $10 million contract would have been a huge mistake.

"I wanted my big contract," Jackson said in an interview on the "All The Smoke" podcast. "I felt like I deserved a big contract. If I could rewind back, I would have took that three-year, $10 million. I would have been on a championship team." While passing on the Spurs' offer was a financial gamble, Jackson eventually recovered his value through a breakout stint with the Atlanta Hawks and subsequent trades throughout his career.

However, the biggest cost was the championships he might have missed. Jackson believes he could have won two more championships with the Spurs before his departure. He also expressed frustration at not getting a "crazy bag." If he had accepted the offer, he would have remained with the Spurs from 2003 to 2006, playing alongside Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker during one of the most dominant eras in San Antonio's history.