PORT ARTHUR — Port Arthur native and former NBA player Stephen Jackson showcased his displeasure with city leaders earlier this week.
Jackson announced on Instagram he will be selling his academy in Port Arthur.
He blames city leaders for not backing its young athletes.
"Whoever's running Port Arthur, you need to think about those athletes and the people that come back to do stuff," says Jackson. "Support them or else nobody will come back and do anything."
The Stephen Jackson Academy was built following Hurricane Rita in 2005 to serve as an after school program and benefit youth.
Families have been using the facility to learn and play with resources like computers, classrooms and a basketball court.
"It was a really nice gym, it looked remodeled," says Lamar student Alijah Boyden. "It was a totally good gym with a good basket and it's a shame that he's closing it but I understand."
Jackson wanted the city of Port Arthur to match the $500,000 he used to create the academy.
He hoped to take that money and build an elementary school, but the cash never came.
Jackson says "I spent half of million dollars on a gymnasium, trying to build a school and didn't get any support from the city."
Others in the community agree with Jackson's claim that there is a lack of support for athletes in the city.
Some take it a step further in saying kids need resources and things to do in order to stay out of trouble.
"We have a lot of shootings in our city, a lot of crime," says Port Arthur resident Tyrone Brown. "If we had more gyms, we would be more productive...It's just sad, we just need somebody that is going to step forward."
The Port Arthur Parks and Recreation Center is one of few courts that people can play at.
Basketball players at the gym tell 12News some even walk from the west side of town just to play basketball.
In some cases, they're forced to go home because the facility doesn't have consistent hours and isn't open.
Others in Port Arthur ask why the city can't back its players as well as other communities.
"When their guys go out, score big and wins games (Port Neches & Nederland) the whole city walks behind them, "says Port Arthur resident Charles Knatt. "This is how the city has to be...to have positivity in Port Arthur."
The date of the academy closing hasn't been confirmed or released.
12News reached out to Port Arthur Mayor Derrick Freeman and councilman Harold Doucet, but neither responded to our requests for an interview.