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Lakers' Jackson says he's done after 2009-10
By Elliott Teaford, Staff Writer
Updated: 01/23/2009 11:54:26 PM PST
Phil Jackson revealed Friday that he plans to coach the Lakers through the end of next season (2009-10) and then will retire. He made his comments to fellow Hall of Famer Magic Johnson during a taped interview that will be shown during ABC's national telecast of the Lakers-San Antonio Spurs game on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.
"One more year after this one with the Lakers," the 63-year-old Jackson said during the interview, a small portion of which was aired on radio station KSPN-AM (710). "Dr. Buss has insinuated that he would like me to coach longer, but I said, 'Let's just do one year at a time right now.' So that's what we're doing."
Lakers team owner Jerry Buss said during an interview Nov. 9 with beat reporters that he expects Jackson to coach well past the end of his current contract, which ends after the 2009-10 season.
"With this team, he may grow very old and still be the coach," Buss said. "I don't see him going anywhere. It depends on him. This team looks like a delight, and I don't see anybody walking away from it. I won't give you a number of years, but I have to think he's going to stay longer than we would have imagined."
Jackson has had health-related issues in recent years, however, and said several times that he would not make a long-term coaching commitment beyond the end of his current deal.
He also has suggested he might call it quits after this season.
"I'm just going one season at a time, really," Jackson told reporters on Nov. 11. "That's all there is to do in this situation. We've got a talented team this year. We want it to work well. We want to stay away from injuries. We want to measure it out, so we run the season the right way, so we go into the playoffs with the best possible chance.
"It's always much more fun to win than to lose, there's no doubt about that."
Jackson signed a three-season, $30 million contract after spending the 2004-05 season away from basketball in the wake of the Lakers' tumultuous 2003-04 season. He signed a two-year extension worth roughly $10 million per season in the fall of 2007.
Jackson's decision could have a widespread impact on the Lakers and the NBA.
First and foremost, the list of candidates to replace Jackson could be lengthy. Top names could include current Lakers assistant coaches Kurt Rambis and Brian Shaw, former Lakers standout and current New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott and Duke and U.S. Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski.
It also could weigh heavily on Kobe Bryant's decision whether to end his contract with the Lakers at the end of this season. It's been assumed that Bryant would opt out of his current deal and sign a bigger and longer contract to remain with the Lakers.
What's more, there also is the possibility that Jackson might walk away as soon as the end of this season, particularly if the Lakers win the NBA championship that eluded them when they lost to the Boston Celtics last June.
The Lakers are 34-8 this season and picked by many to win the Finals.
Jackson is currently tied with the late Red Auerbach with a league-record nine titles. Jackson won his first six with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the 1990 s and won three consecutive championships with the Lakers (2000-02). Jackson also led the Lakers to the 2004 Finals, but they lost to the Detroit Pistons.
Jackson's second stint with the Lakers has not been without setbacks. On the court, the team advanced only as far as the first round of the playoffs in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons before it made its run to the Finals last season in the wake of a blockbuster trade for 7-footer Pau Gasol.
Off the court, Jackson has had health concerns. He had hip replacement surgery two years in a row and needed a walking cane to get around for much of last season. He also missed the Lakers' first exhibition game this season because of soreness in his legs.
Johnson, a part owner of the Lakers and a frequent TV analyst, conducted the interview on behalf of ABC at the team's El Segundo practice facility. Among the questions he asked Jackson was how long he would continue to coach the Lakers.
The full interview will be aired during Sunday afternoon's game.
