LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers coach Phil Jackson will return next season, putting off retirement for at least another year to chase his 12th NBA championship.
Jackson made the announcement Thursday with a news release. The two-time defending champions’ coach said last week he was leaning toward retirement after another long season, but he changed his mind after getting a week to rest up at his offseason home in Montana.
Jackson, who will turn 65 later this year, says next season will be “a last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.”
Jackson is the winningest coach in NBA playoff history, with 225 victories and two more titles than Boston’s Red Auerbach. He has won five titles with Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and six with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
