Phil Jackson and struggling Knicks mutually agree to part ways

June 29, 2017 - 1:33 PM
3768
USA Today/Reuters

The New York Knicks and team president Phil Jackson mutually agreed to part ways a little over three years after the Hall of Famer was brought on to help revive the struggling NBA team, it said on Wednesday.

Jackson, who won a record 11 NBA titles as a coach, brought impressive credentials to his first front-office position but failed to live up to the expectations.

“After careful thought and consideration, we mutually agreed that the Knicks will be going in a different direction,” Knicks Executive Chairman Jim Dolan said in a statement.

The Knicks, who have not made the playoffs since 2013, went 31-51 during the 2016-17 campaign, leaving them 10 games back of a postseason berth.

Jackson, who won two NBA titles as a player with the Knicks in the early 1970s, enjoyed even more success as a coach as he snared six championships with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dolan said Knicks General Manager Steve Mills would run the day-to-day business of the organization over the short term.