Phil Jackson took a sabbatical after calling the shots for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004. This was about the time when the Purple and Gold embarked on a rebuild around Kobe Bryant.
Jackson revealed he had no plans to return for the 2004-05 season, especially if the Black Mamba was still around. The Lakers chose to stand by Bryant, officially ending the "Trifecta." Shaquille O'Neal would be traded to the Miami Heat, while Jackson would go on semi-retirement.
What Phil was looking for
Despite the fallout, many believed it would only be a matter of time before Jackson returned to coaching. Among teams interested in the services of the 1996 Coach of the Year were the New York Knicks , the same franchise where he won championships as a player in 1970 and 1973.
Hence, the opportunity to return to The Big Apple and call the shots for his old club appeared to make sense. However, Jackson explained that it had to be under the right circumstances. Also, he would not accept the job if it meant dislodging Lenny Wilkens.
"He's a great coach. I'm very respectful of him," the then-59-year-old coach stated . "They have one of the great coaches in the game at their helm right now."
Considering what he had just gone through with the Lakers, Phil wanted to take some time off and recollect his thoughts. Coaching remained in his veins, and he hoped to figure that out during his time away from the game. But if he were to pick a team, Jackson stressed that it had to be a challenge for him.
"The team that has a glimmer of hope, that has potential, where you have a challenge that's out there and an opportunity, I think is what every coach wants. You want to think you have an opportunity to win," Jackson said via the New York Times.
At the time, the Knicks were a struggling team. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2004, their win-loss record was far from comforting. With its woeful performance, Wilkens would step down in January 2005, leaving the coaching reigns to Herb Williams on an interim basis.
Given the Knicks' situation at the time, it was hardly the challenge that Jackson had in mind. Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford were the top stars at the time. However, it would take more than the two guards to entice Jackson out of retirement.
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No brainer decision
Since the Knicks didn't present the challenge Jackson was seeking, only one team remained in the mix for his return: the Lakers. In 2005, he made an unexpected comeback to the Lakers' bench despite his previous tensions with Kobe.
However, the Black Mamba mentioned that he left the coaching search to Dr. Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak at the time. All he cared about was getting the best man for the job and someone with a track record as a champion.
"I put my complete trust in Dr. Buss and Mitch Kupchak to select the person they thought was best for the Lakers organization. In Phil Jackson, they chose a proven winner. That is something I support," Bryant said back then.
Somehow, Jackson and Bryant were able to work things out. It took them several seasons to find the right mix, eventually winning the 2009 and 2010 titles for Los Angeles. Citing health reasons, Phil announced he would be retiring as a coach at the end of the 2010-11 season.
Driven by his enduring passion for basketball, The Zen Master took on a new challenge in 2014 as the Knicks' president. However, his tenure was far from successful, and he stepped down in 2017. Since then, Jackson has stated that he no longer watches the NBA, feeling it has become too political .
Related: Phil Jackson on why Kobe Bryant was the best all-around player that he's ever coached: "I never asked Michael to be a playmaker"
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