DeAndre Jordan knew he would upset the Mavs’ fan base

In his first interview since reneging on a deal to sign a free agent contract with the Dallas Mavericks nearly two weeks ago so he could continue playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, center DeAndre Jordan went through his thought process while telling his side of the story released late Monday night on the webiste of The Players’ Tribune in a video and in a statement.

During the video portion of the interview, Jordan said: "I woke up Monday morning (July 6) feeling like there was something missing. Like there was something I didn’t do, something that was not covered. And that’s when I started to begin to have second thoughts about things and have gone back and had to revisit a situation, and I denfitely feel like this is one of those times for me.

"The most emotional part of the whole entire process was when I decided I was going to stay, because I knew I had to upset or let down a whole different fan base, and that definitely got to me.

"Originally I said yes to the Mavericks, because I thought I needed change. I thought I wanted change at that point and time, and they had a great presentation.

"They have a great owner, a great coach and a championship team. But at the same time I felt I didn’t give it all of my thought.

"At the end of the day we’re basketball players and these great athletes, but we’re also human. And we make mistakes and we have emotions and feelings just like everybody else.

"I decided to stay with the Clippers because I’ve been with this team for seven years, and being with one team for my entire career was definitely important to me.

"I’ve been here since I was 19, so this is what I know. I love the city, I love the fans, I love my teammates and I love this organization.

"A lot of the guys who I was talking to during the process, they were friends of mine. That’s what made it so tough – talking to these guys and really wanting to maybe partner up with these guys and play.

"And then not wanting to is definitely a tough situation it puts you in, because you want to make the right decision. But you also don’t want to step on toes.

"When I first got here it was definitely tough. We had a really good team on paper, but when I was 19, that’s how many games we won. We were 19-63. I’ll never forget that. We were pretty bad.

"Then we got Blake (Griffin) and some more pieces and now we’re a destination where people actually really want to come and play and contend for a championship. Just to be with this team and with this organization when we were here and then growing every year and getting better, that’s really cool to be part of and I want to be a part of that when that time comes where this team is hoisting the trophy, I want to be a part of that.

"To win a championship with this group of guys will be, I can’t even put it into words. I just think that we’ve been through so much the time that we’ve been together, the emotional roller coaster with these guys, it will definitely be like everything was worth it and that it all paid off and it will be a great moment.’’

In his statement to The Players’ Tribune, Jordan wrote: "Let’s just say that free agency wasn’t what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be fun. I thought it was going to be like when I got recruited during college.

"But as it turns out, deciding what your future is going to be like is mostly a headache. For a second, the attention felt good, but after you think about everything and get out all the glitz and glamour from the process, you kind of start to think about what’s really best for you as a player and as a person — on and off the floor.

"As everyone knows, I struggled with it. It was nine or ten days of intense pressure. Every night I would have a different scenario in my head, of the city and team where I thought I would fit best. I had several meetings with teams and even more conversations with my family and friends. I kept thinking about what it really meant to be "home" and I would go back and forth.

"It seems crazy, but I’m actually the "oldest" Clipper — I’ve been here for seven years. When I was a rookie we went 19-63. We were really bad. It’s a terrible feeling to lose 63 games in a season. Then we got Blake and things started to turn around. We became a destination where people really want to come and play and contend for a championship. When we traded for Chris (Paul), it was on.

"I love Chris, man. Chris is a big brother to me. When you play sports, you’re competitive — especially when you play them at as high a level as we have these last few years. And of course, yeah, we all bump heads during the course of the game. But we know that whatever criticisms or arguments we have on the floor, they’re about one thing: winning.

"Ultimately, I made the right decision for me, and now I have to own that. What’s important to me now is to explain how it all happened.’’

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 12:08 PM with the headline "DeAndre Jordan knew he would upset the Mavs’ fan base."