The Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of a pivotal coaching search.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are leaning on coaching legend Phil Jackson to guide the search.
"Phil Jackson having input on Lakers coaching search" 👀
— Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN)#NBATwitter #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/GfSc0yeYHm
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) May 3, 2022
“This is very much a committee in L.A. putting together this coaching search,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN on Tuesday. “One person who is certainly significantly involved in this process is Phil Jackson. He’s got a voice in this. He did last time when they hired Frank Vogel.”
Phil Jackson is advising the Lakers on their coaching search, @espn reports.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 3, 2022
Jackson, 76, hasn’t coached since the 2010-11 campaign.
The coaching icon made a name for himself with the Chicago Bulls. Jackson led the Bulls to six championships during the 1990s. NBA legend Michael Jordan, who enjoyed playing under Jackson, was the main superstar on those Bulls teams.
The former general served as a head coach with the Lakers from 1999 to 2011. He won five championships during that stretch, three with Shaquille O’Neal at the helm and two with Kobe Bryant as the focal point.
Of course, Jackson learned to manage superstars and their egos during his successful time in the league. The current Lakers squad needs to figure out that dilemma at the moment.
The franchise’s experiment to couple LeBron James and Anthony Davis with former MVP Russell Westbrook this past season was a complete disaster. The Lakers missed the playoffs and concluded the regular season with an abysmal 33-49 record.
Westbrook, who had a terrible first season with the Lakers, feuded with Vogel over the course of the year. The organization dismissed Vogel following the conclusion of their season.
Vogel, 48, coached the Lakers to a title in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Fla. in 2020. The way the franchise managed Vogel’s exit drew condemnation from Lakers icons.
The team, which is undergoing an unusual coaching search, already has a few notable guys it is looking into hiring.
