Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson's relationship after the Knicks-Lakers split
LA Lakers President Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson had a high-profile relationship for 17 years. They started dating when Phil joined the Lakers as a coach in 1999. The romance began to fizzle out when he moved to the East Coast after landing a top executive role with the NY Knicks.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss were first linked in 1999, got engaged in 2012, and broke up in 2016.
- Buss and Phil remained cordial after their split and have maintained a professional relationship.
- Jeannie Buss moved on with comedian and actor Jay Mohr, whom she married in 2023.
Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson met in the late 1990s
Jeanie Buss started dating Phil Jackson in 1999, around the time she became the executive vice president of business operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA team was owned by her late father, Dr Jerry Buss, and Phil was the coach.
Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss had a 16-year age difference. Jeanie was born on September 26, 1961, and Phil on September 17, 1945. In a 2011 ESPN interview, the LA Lakers executive said that Jackson was not the typical guy she would date, admitting he "just bowled me over."
Before becoming Phil Jackson's girlfriend, Buss had been divorced from her first husband, volleyball star Steve Timmons, in 1993 after three years of marriage. Phil divorced his second wife, June, in 2000. The former NBA coach was married to his first wife, Maxine, from 1967 to 1972 and married June in 1974.
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Buss and Phil's engagement and long-distance dating
Jackson proposed over the Christmas holiday in 2012 after about 13 years of dating. The ex-couple were forced to make their high-profile relationship long-distance in early 2014 when Phil left Los Angeles to become the president of operations for the New York Knicks in the Big Apple.
Phil's new position was projected to bring tension in the league as Jeanie had just taken over the Lakers after her dad's death. In a March 2014 interview with ESPN, NBA spokesperson Mike Ross assured fans the relationship would not create issues.
The Knicks' hiring of Phil Jackson is subject to the league's conflict of interest rules. To avoid even the appearance of a conflict, we have addressed the issue with the Knicks and Lakers to ensure that the relationship between Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson will not affect how the teams operate.
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Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson split due to distance and work
Phil and Buss called off their engagement in December 2016 after 17 years of dating. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), they announced that the breakup was mutual, adding:
With the nature of our professional obligations and the geographic distance between us, sustaining the relationship has been difficult. We have shared many wonderful moments through the years, and we expect to remain supportive of each other in the future.
In a separate tweet, Jeanie said the Los Angeles Lakers were the love of her life. She added that she will always love Phil, noting it was unfair to him and the team not to have her undivided attention.
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Phil Jackson foresaw the end of their relationship
When the Knicks offered Phil Jackson the president position, he consulted Buss. In the book, Masters of the Game (2025), which he co-wrote with Sam Smith, the 11-time NBA championship coach writes:
I warned her, 'I don't think our relationship can survive this. I'm not going to take this job.'
Buss reportedly told him they would be fine and encouraged him to take the job. The Lakers president later confirmed during her March 2025 appearance on the Games with Names podcast that Jackson's departure from LA to New York was the beginning of the end of their romance.
The ex-couple was reportedly instructed not to talk about basketball. They also signed documents that ensured there was no conflict of interest between the sports franchises they were leading.
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Jeanie and Phil Jackson have maintained a professional relationship
Phil and Buss spoke positively about each other after ending their long-term relationship. In a 2017 interview with ESPN W, the Lakers president described the former coach as a family man both on and off the court.
He and I worked well together. During that time, the 12 or so years that he coached the Lakers, I really got into the role of team mom, being the coach's wife. I got to see another side of basketball that I hadn't seen -- that what Phil tries to create is a family.
The exes did not cut ties completely. In a May 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jeanie said her ex-fiancé remains one of her trusted confidants.
People see us around town, we have breakfast, lunch, dinner... It's not anything romantic. He's somebody who knows this environment and knows the challenges I have and wants to see the Lakers successful. So, he's somebody I know doesn't have any other agenda... He's somebody that I can lean on.
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Jeanie Buss is married to a Hollywood star
The LA Lakers president started dating actor and stand-up comedian Jay Mohr in 2017. They made their relationship public in September 2021.
Jeanie Buss and Mohr announced their engagement in December 2022. They exchanged vows in September 2023 at a private wedding held in Malibu, California.
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Jeanie Buss denied dating Dennis Rodman
Retired basketball player Dennis Rodman claimed in a July 2023 VladTV interview that he dated Jeanie for six months during his stint with the Lakers in 1999. The top NBA executive refuted his claims during her November 2023 appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
Jeanie said she spent time with Rodman but only to keep tabs on him due to his unpredictable behaviour and party lifestyle. Her father, Jerry Buss, reportedly wanted to ensure someone was always aware of the athlete's whereabouts.
Phil Jackson did not remarry
Jackson, 80, has not publicly dated anyone since 2016. The Basketball Hall of Famer is keeping a low profile but is occasionally involved in basketball activities as a mentor and author. Phil is a doting father of five from his two marriages and has several grandchildren.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson may no longer be together, but their romance is remembered for going against many odds. While their relationship was never meant to be, they remain close and can freely talk about basketball now that Phil is retired from the NBA.
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