Phil Jackson Says He’s Talked With Teams About Front Office Position

Elizabeth Benson
3 Min Read

Phil JacksonPhil Jackson is not only the most successful coach of all-time in professional basketball, but he also provides an intangible that is very, very rare in the basketball world: trust. That is why a lot of Lakers fans want Phil Jackson to return to their organization; they trust him.

—- Check out this wallpaper of Phil Jackson, owner of 11 rings! —-

While reports surfaced that Jackson was itching for a return to basketball in some capacity, a front office position may end up being the landing spot for the eleven-time champion. The latest report, which originally came from Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, confirms this notion. In an interview with Ostler, Jackson stated:

“I’ve had some talks with people,” Jackson said, “and there are some interesting situations that are presenting themselves, but I really haven’t made up my mind yet what I’m going to do. None of it involves coaching. … There are three or four teams that have been interested.”

Many believe that Jackson would prefer a front office position (possibly A GM) in order to have an impact on the culture and development of the team. Jackson discussed what intrigues him about a front office position, saying:

“…you’d have the influence in (selecting the) coaching staff and the kind of culture that goes along with it. It goes all the way down to – not down to, but includes – trainers and the people who are doing the hands-on work with players, that have to be really embedded with how you put a team together. … The support group is important; guys who get an opportunity to hear and talk and influence the players. “It would be a real opportunity to implant the game, a culture that I believe in – that’s the intriguing part.”

While every team and their fan base would be interested in employing such a successful and proven figure like Jackson in some sort of capacity, it has been unseen yet if he is favoring any direction. A front office position would satisfy the cultural, development and non-travel aspects that Jackson seems to want.

I expect more teams and more reports of this kind to show up more and more, especially as the postseason gets deeper and the off-season arrives. Only time will tell if Jackson decides that he wants to return to the NBA and to what sort of capacity.

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Elizabeth is a graduate from Arizona State University and has her master's from Duquesne University. She is currently an associate editor at Lakers Nation. To read more of Elizabeth's articles click here. You can also follow Elizabeth on Twitter @Gobibs
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