Earlier this week, the NBA fan base mourned the called-off engagement of Knicks president Phil Jackson and Lakers president Jeanie Buss. Jackson announced the parting in the most Jackson manner possible: with a screenshot of a plain-text file.
It was a mutual decision, and it appeared to be about as pleasant as a called-off engagement could be.
Nothing but love and respect for this man. @PhilJackson11 https://t.co/jlgNhnZvOA
Now, in the wake of their relationship, we are learning more details about how the NBA handled the Jackson-Buss partnership, which presented some confusing dynamics. The league reportedly required the two to sign documents after their 2012 engagement promising there would not be any conflicts of interest, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Jackson and Buss were also reportedly required to inform the league and the other team owners (Buss is part-owner of the Lakers) if they decided to get married. Needless to say, they didn’t encounter this situation.
The two were required to keep some walls between what information they would share with each other, as a completely transparent romantic relationship could no doubt alter the competitiveness of the league. Certainly these rules made the nature of the relationship even more complicated.
The NBA power couple had been together since 1999, when Jackson was the Lakers’ coach and Buss was the owner’s daughter. All things considered, it’s pretty amazing they made it work for 17 years.
