“She Got Pressure From the League” – Phil Jackson Makes Explosive Claim About NBA Interference Ruining His Engagement with Jeanie Buss (Source: Imagn)

Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss, two iconic figures in Lakers history, were romantically involved from 1999 to 2016 and engaged in 2013. However, Jackson recently made an explosive claim, revealing their engagement ended after alleged interference from the NBA.

In his book “Masters of the Game,” set to be released on Nov. 4, Jackson opened up on the details of his relationship with Buss. He revealed that his move to New York to become the Knicks’ president marked the beginning of the end for their relationship.

According to Jackson, the end of their four-year engagement came due to “pressure” from the league.

“I warned her, ‘I don’t think our relationship can survive this. I’m not going to take this job,” Jackson wrote. “‘No, don’t worry about it, we’re going to be fine.’ But she got pressure from the league because they worried about the idea of collusion that could happen between an owner and a president.”

Buss and Jackson began dating in December 1999 as Jackson took the reins in Los Angeles. Their partnership flourished both personally and professionally, as the duo helped guide the team to five NBA championships before Jackson retired from coaching in 2011.

After getting engaged in 2013, Jackson was offered the role of the president of the New York Knicks and moved to the East Coast. Though his tenure wasn’t particularly successful, it ultimately came at a personal cost, as he and Buss ended their 17-year relationship in 2016.

While Jackson has stepped away from basketball after leaving the Knicks in 2017, Buss continues to serve as the President of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jeanie Buss once confessed that Phil Jackson’s move to New York ended their relationship

After spending 17 years together, Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson’s relationship came to an end with a joint statement on Twitter in 2016. The couple were hugely successful during their time with the Lakers, but Jackson’s move across the country hurt their relationship in more ways than one.

During an appearance on the Games With Names podcast in March, Buss opened up on her split with Jackson.

“That kind of eroded my relationship because he was in New York, and I was in LA,” she expressed.

Buss also claimed the NBA interfered in their relationship, a point Jackson reiterates in his book. According to her, the NBA made Jackson sign an agreement barring them from talking about basketball, which ultimately led to their breakup.