# Comprehensive News Summary: Phil Jackson's "Masters of the Game" Revelations This summary details the key information from a New York Post article by Stefan Bondy, published on **October 29, 2025**, concerning revelations from Phil Jackson's upcoming book, "Masters of the Game." The book, co-authored with Sam Smith and scheduled for release on **November 4, 2025**, offers Jackson's perspective on his tenure as President of the New York Knicks and his relationships with key figures. --- ## News Metadata * **Title:** Phil Jackson blames Carmelo Anthony drama for failed Knicks tenure * **Publisher:** New York Post * **Author:** Stefan Bondy * **Publication Date:** 2025-10-29 16:48:31 * **URL:** https://nypost.com/2025/10/29/sports/phil-jackson-blames-carmelo-anthony-drama-for-failed-knicks-tenure/ * **Topic:** Sports (Basketball) --- ## Main Findings and Conclusions Phil Jackson's new book, "Masters of the Game," asserts that his departure from the New York Knicks in **2017** was primarily driven by a "busted" relationship with star player Carmelo Anthony, rather than the media pressure that owner James Dolan initially feared. Jackson also reflects on the end of his engagement to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, attributing it to league concerns over potential collusion. --- ## Key Details and Revelations ### 1. Departure from the Knicks (2017) * **Mutual Decision:** Jackson's exit from his role as Knicks President was framed as a "mutual decision to part ways" with owner James Dolan. * **Dolan's Concerns vs. Jackson's Reality:** Dolan reportedly asked Jackson if he was concerned about being "run out of town by the media." Jackson, confident in his ability to handle media, stated, "I know who the media is; that doesn’t affect me." However, he conceded that his relationship with Carmelo Anthony was irreconcilable, leading him to believe it was "best that I go" if Anthony remained with the team. * **Financial Context:** Jackson was operating under a reported **$60 million contract** to manage the Knicks' front office. ### 2. Conflict with Carmelo Anthony * **Playing Style Disagreement:** The core of the conflict was Anthony's resistance to Jackson's preferred triangle offense and ball movement system. Jackson noted, "[Jeff] Hornacek said Carmelo wanted the ball." * **Trade Desire:** Jackson explicitly stated his desire to trade Anthony: "I don’t want Carmelo back on the team; we’ve got to find a way to trade him." * **No-Trade Clause:** Anthony possessed a no-trade clause, which he resisted waiving. Jackson suggested discussing with Anthony's agent, Leon Rose, that the team was not championship-caliber and Anthony should seek a team with a better chance. * **Defensive Strategy Anecdote (2009):** Jackson recounted a conversation with former Nuggets coach George Karl. Karl planned to let Kobe Bryant score his expected "30 points" while shutting down others in the **2009** Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. Anthony, however, interjected, disagreeing with the plan because he "wanted to be the top scorer" and insisted on defending Kobe first. The Lakers, coached by Jackson, ultimately won the series in **six games**, with Bryant still being the leading scorer. * **Broader Impact:** Jackson also suggested Anthony may have contributed to the downfall of tenures for Jeremy Lin and Mike D’Antoni. * **Anthony's Departure:** Carmelo Anthony eventually waived his no-trade clause to join the Oklahoma City Thunder in **September 2017**, less than **three months** after Jackson's departure from the Knicks. ### 3. Relationship with Jeanie Buss * **Lone Regret:** Despite the Knicks' struggles during his **three full seasons** as president, Jackson identifies the end of his romantic relationship with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss as his "lone regret." * **Engagement Breakdown (2016):** Their **four-year engagement** reportedly ended in **2016**, partly due to pressure from the NBA. Jackson had warned Buss that their relationship might not survive his demanding role with the Knicks. The league expressed concerns about the potential for "collusion" between an owner and a team president. ### 4. Other Knicks Reflections * **Draft Picks:** * **Kristaps Porzingis:** Jackson considered him a "good draft pick" but noted that "his brother was in the way all the time." * **Frank Ntilikina:** Jackson concluded that "the NBA game turned out not to be for him," despite envisioning him as a capable 6-4 guard, stating, "he could never shoot." * **Coaching Hire:** Jackson admitted hiring Derek Fisher as head coach was a mistake because "he wasn’t ready to coach." * **Attempted Coaching Hire:** Jackson revealed an effort to recruit Tony Bennett, the longtime coach of Virginia, to the Knicks. Bennett declined, citing his child being in high school, though a source indicated his primary motivation was his desire to remain at UVA. Bennett retired in **2024**. ### 5. Book's Scope * "Masters of the Game" analyzes Jackson's insights on the **75 greatest players** in NBA history. * It also includes his reflections on former teammates such as Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Clyde Frazier, and Earl Monroe, alongside championship players like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Michael Jordan. ---
Phil Jackson blames Carmelo Anthony drama for failed Knicks tenure
Read original at New York Post →MILWAUKEE — James Dolan thought the media would run Phil Jackson out of town. But it was Carmelo Anthony. In a book scheduled for release Nov. 4, Jackson delves into his tenuous relationship with Melo, how the Knicks contributed to the end of his engagement to Jeanie Buss, a previously unknown desire to hire Virginia coach Tony Bennett and his conversations with Dolan before a “mutual decision to part ways” in 2017.
“Dolan said to me, ‘Are you going to get run out of town by the media?’ I said, ‘I know who the media is; that doesn’t affect me,’ ” Jackson said in the Carmelo chapter of his book, “Masters of the Game,” a conversational read on the 75 greatest players through the lens of the legendary coach and Hall of Fame scribe Sam Smith.
“But Dolan felt it was too much. He said, ‘I don’t want you to go through it. I know what it’s like to deal with these people.’ I said, ‘Unfortunately my relationship with Carmelo is kind of busted, and if he’s going to be here, it’s probably best that I go.’ ” Jackson and Anthony butted heads throughout their failed partnership, with much of the conflict rooted in playing styles.
Jackson wanted the triangle offense and ball movement. Anthony never bought in — “[Jeff] Hornacek said Carmelo wanted the ball,” Jackson said. Still, Anthony had a no-trade clause and resisted waiving it. “I had this meeting with Dolan, I said, ‘I don’t want Carmelo back on the team; we’ve got to find a way to trade him,’ ” Jackson said in the book.
“I said, ‘Let’s sit with [Anthony’s agent] Leon Rose and explain we’re not going to win a championship. Carmelo wants a championship; he wants to be on a team that has a chance, and he should be; he’s a Hall of Famer.’ ” Jackson also detailed a conversation with former Nuggets coach George Karl, who said Anthony, a star for Denver until being traded to the Knicks in 2011, rejected a defensive plan for selfish reasons in the 2009 Western Conference finals against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
Knicks president Phil Jackson speaks to reporters during a news conference, Feb. 8, 2016 AP CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS “[Karl said] ‘Kobe’s going to get his 30 points and we’ll deal with that; shut down everybody else.’ Carmelo interjected, ‘No, I disagree with that. We’ve got to defend Kobe first.
We’ve got to throw everything at him,’ ” Jackson wrote. “ ‘You know why?’ George asked. ‘[Carmelo] said he wanted to be the top scorer.’ ” In the end, the Lakers, who were coached by Jackson, won in six games and Bryant was still the leading scorer. “After being with Carmelo in New York, I knew,” Jackson said about the player who has also been blamed for sabotaging the Knicks tenures of Jeremy Lin and Mike D’Antoni.
Knicks’ Phil Jackson looks on as Carmelo Anthony (7) inbounds the ball at training camp in 2014. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Anthony ultimately waived his no-trade clause to join the Thunder in September of 2017, less than three months after Jackson’s departure. In the book, Jackson also touched on his two highest draft picks as Knicks president, Kristaps Porzingis — “a good draft pick, but his brother was in the way all the time” — and Frank Ntilikina — “the NBA game turned out not to be for him.
I thought he’d be great in a two-guard system, 6-4, agile, but he could never shoot.” Jackson acknowledged that hiring Derek Fisher as head coach was a mistake because “he wasn’t ready to coach.” He revealed an attempt to lure Tony Bennett, the longtime Virginia coach, out of college. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (L) and an injured Kristaps Porzingis they sit on the bench during a 2015 game.
JASON SZENES/ NY POST New York Post cover for Friday, December 9, 2016. vmodica “[Bennett] said, ‘My kid’s still in high school, so I’m not doing that,’ ” Jackson wrote. A source confirmed Jackson called Bennett for the Knicks gig, but the reason for the rejection was more so about his desire to stay at UVA.
Bennett retired in 2024. Despite all the losing and chaos during his three full seasons as Knicks president, Jackson said his lone regret was losing his romantic relationship with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. The pair called off their four-year engagement in 2016, apparently at the urging of the NBA. “I warned her, ‘I don’t think our relationship can survive this.
I’m not going to take this job,’ ” Jackson, who signed a reported $60 million contract to run the Knicks front office, 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.
” “Masters of the Game” also gathers Jackson’s thoughts on his championship players, including Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan. For Knicks fans, Jackson discusses his former teammates Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Clyde Frazier and Earl Monroe. No surprise — Jackson had better memories of them than of Carmelo.
