Phil Jackson is formally returning to the Los Angeles Lakers organization as an informal consultant, according to ESPN.
Jackson told the network that he has had conversations with longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak recently about the team and expects to have more moving forward.
“We discussed some things, me and Mitch in the past couple of weeks, bouncing things around," Jackson said. "That's been something that has happened. It's not something I expect them to rely on me for information, but I'm there to offer it. Not so much advice. Explaining the program that they're headed toward down the road and resolutions they had in the past and trying to clean that up and talk about some of the things in the future that are different ways in which they can resolve the issues. They asked if I can be of assistance. I said, 'Yeah, I'll help in whatever area you need to have help.'"
Jackson didn’t provide many of the specifics stemming from his talk with Kupchak, who himself later confirmed to ESPN that the two do discuss the direction of the team quite often. Jackson is at the Lakers' facility regularly to see his fiancé, Jeanie Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of business operations.
"He's over at the facility every now and then for obvious reasons," Kupchak said. "I'll see him then. We have reason to talk by phone every now and then. … Obviously his accomplishments here, and relationship with Jeanie, create an environment that we're susceptible to dialogue with a basketball person like Phil. If he was working for another team, it wouldn't be the same."
Jeanie Buss lobbied hard for Jackson to replace the fired Mike Brown at the start of last season, but her brother, Jim, and Kupchak went with Mike D'Antoni instead. "Phil is a part of the organization because of me," she told ESPN. "Really the best way to look at it is the night of the Shaq jersey retirement, and Phil spoke on behalf of the Lakers fans and team. I want Lakers fans to know he is part of it. He's part of my life and part of my family. He's always in the Laker world no matter if he has an official position or not."
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