Phil Jackson reveals he gave James Dolan an ultimatum
The New York Knicks he struggled for success while in the Hall of Fame Phil Jackson served as team president, and his strained relationship with fellow legend Carmelo Anthony it didn’t fix the whole situation.
Jackson’s upcoming book, “Masters of the Game,” a conversation about 75 of the greatest players through the lens of legendary coach and Hall of Fame scribe Sam Smith, delves into his relationship with Anthony and reveals that he gave the owner James Dolan ultimatum as a the result of tension.
“Dolan said to me, ‘Are you going to be run out of town by the media?’ I said, ‘I know who the media are; it doesn’t affect me,” Jackson said in the Carmelo chapter of his book. “But Dolan thought it was too much. He said, ‘I don’t want you to go through that. I know what it’s like to deal with these people.’ I said, ‘Unfortunately, my relationship with Carmelo is kind of broken, and if he’s going to be here, it’s probably best that I leave.’ “
Jackson and Anthony differed in terms of playing styles. The cornerstone of the Knicks franchise he didn’t embrace Jackson’s famous triangle attack, which would have involved more ball movement than he was comfortable with.
“I had a meeting with Dolan, I said, ‘I don’t want Carmelo back on the team; we have to find a way to trade him,'” Jackson said in the book. “I said, ‘Let’s sit down with (Anthony’s agent) Leon Rose and explain that we’re not going to win a championship. Carmelo wants the championship; he wants to be on a team that has a chance, and he should be; he’s a Hall of Famer.’ “
The Knicks have largely recovered from this era of futility, but Jackson’s new book may provide fresh insight into why the franchise struggled during his tenure.
2025-10-29 14:11:00
