This Week In Lakers History: Phil Jackson Wins 700th Career Game

Corey Hansford
2 Min Read

NBA: Playoffs-Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks

The Lakers have been fortunate to have some excellent coaches in charge of the team. Arguably the best among them, and many believe the best of all-time, was the ‘Zen Master’ Phil Jackson.

Jackson came to the team in 2000 and immediately turned the Lakers from a talented team to a championship team. Jackson had a number of milestones with the Lakers, and one of his finest came on February 2, 2002. That night the Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 100-85 to get Jackson his 700th win of his career.

With that victory Jackson became only the 13th coach to reach that milestone. At the time, Jackson had an exceptional record of 700-246 for a win percentage of nearly 74 percent.

The season would go on to be another success for Jackson as he would lead the Lakers to a third consecutive championship, sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals. The championship was Jackson’s ninth of his illustrious career.

Jackson would go on to add two more championships to bring his career total to 11, five of which came in Los Angeles. Even through the ups and downs he experienced, Jackson cemented himself as a permanent part of the Laker organization, and the greatest coach of all-time.

When he retired after the 2011 season, Jackson had compiled 1,155 regular season wins, and another 229 playoff wins. His .704 regular season win percentage remains the highest of all-time.

This week, we remember February 2, 2002, when Phil Jackson for winning his 700th career game against the Memphis Grizlies
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Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.
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