On Tuesday, Celtics coach Doc Rivers grabbed much of the sports media's attention in announcing that he would indeed return to coach the Celtics in the 2010-11 season. On Wednesday, it's Phil Jackson's turn.
The winningest coach in NBA history, Jackson said that he will be back to coach the Lakers in hopes of completing a three-peat.
"Count me in," Jackson said in a release from the Lakers. "After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season. It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one."
Jackson helped guide the Lakers to an NBA title on June 17, and in doing so, he may have forced his own hand in returning. With 11 NBA titles, Jackson already has won three consecutive championships on three separate occasions, from 1991-93, 1996-98 and 2000-02. With the Lakers now the two-time defending champs, Jackson will have a chance to put yet another exclamation point at the end of his resume.
"With this most recent championship, we’ve now won five titles in the 10 years he’s been our head coach and have been to the Finals in seven of those ten years, which is amazing," said GM Mitch Kupchak. "He's not only the best coach for this team, but quite simply the best coach in the history of the NBA."
Jackson had expressed some medical concerns over the past few weeks, stating that he wouldn't want to leave his team at any point during the season due to illness.
