Mark Jackson reflects on Warriors tenure: 'I'm incredibly blessed'

Mark Jackson's time with the Golden State Warriors may not have ended the way he hoped, but he still looks back fondly on the three seasons he spent as the team's head coach.

Jackson, now an ESPN analyst, spoke about his Warriors tenure on the latest episode of the "Boardroom: Out of Office" podcast with Rich Kleiman.

"I'll say this, in my life - you know, you've given me credit, and I appreciate it, and not just as a coach, but as a basketball player, as a father, as a husband, whatever it is - I haven't been perfect," Jackson said. "I've made mistakes, and that's part of living.

"So when you ask about the Warriors, we made the playoffs one time in 19 years, or they did prior to me getting there. You then go from a team in a lockout-shortened season winning 23 games to now a team that all of a sudden wins 48, I believe, and is a playoff team, and then the next year, the third year, wins 51 and is a playoff team. I didn't do that. We did it. Ownership, management, my coaching staff, and most importantly, without a doubt, the players buying in and being committed. We did that."

Jackson went on to explain that while he was upset by his firing, he tries to look at the bigger picture.

"I'm incredibly blessed to have had that opportunity," he said. "Now, when you do things as a believer, that doesn't mean it's always going to work out. And sometimes, you're gonna be used in ways that you don't wanna be used. So did the human side of me think, 'Man, this is messed up. I got fired? How did I get fired when I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm trying to live right, and I'm trying to instill and motivate and inspire and all those things. I got fired?' The human side of me certainly feels some of that. But as you mature as a believer in life, the objective is for the spiritual side to be stronger than the human side. So my spirit man checks my flesh man and says, 'Are you kidding me? It's not about you. It's not about you. It's about a bigger purpose, a bigger call on your life.'"

The Warriors compiled a 121-109 record during Jackson's tenure, advancing to the playoffs twice. Steve Kerr took over as head coach in 2014 and guided the team to an NBA championship in his first season.