Mark Jackson, former member of the New York Knicks (and Indiana Pacers but that’s an afterthought), former ABC/ESPN announcer and current head coach of the Golden State Warriors found himself in the midst of an extortion plot after carrying on an affair with stripper Alexis Adams in 2006. What he didn’t expect after he ended the affair, which lasted less than one year, was that Adams would hold on to everything he’d sent to her and use it against him.
According to The Smoking Gun, Adams and a co-conspirator, Marcus Shaw, set up an initial plan in April which ended up with Jackson being approached by Shaw with pictures he’d sent to Adams of his “private area” and demanded he fork over $5,000. Mark did so with no hesitation because he’s been married for 22 years to Desiree Coleman-Jackson and is also…an ordained minister. However, that wasn’t enough for Adams and Shaw.
Two weeks later, Shaw emailed Jackson’s wife to give her the first opportunity to buy extra pictures he had before selling them to the public. He further added that he wasn’t trying to hurt her but “this is business, nothing personal.” This all became too much for Jackson who then turned to the FBI for help. They quickly turned this into an extortion sting and after all was said and done, Shaw had asked for $200,000 to which Jackson agreed to pay. It can only be assumed that when the exchange was supposed to take place, undercover agents were right on the scene to pick up Shaw and later, Ms. Adams.
What an embarrassing nightmare. It’s one thing to cheat (which we know isn’t right) but it is something entirely different to cheat with a stripper and then get caught in an extortion case. You either need to keep it in your pants or be smarter about who you’re “sharing” with.
Before you ask, yes his wife has been standing by his side through it all. After all, he was a huge star in his prime; do you think this is the first time she’s heard about extramarital affairs? –by drenna armstrong
