Mark Jackson grateful for Rick Pitino's Knicks coaching endorsement: ‘Got great taste'
The Knicks coaching search has gone from sloppy to embarrassing, and one of their former coaches, Rick Pitino, proactively said he has no interest in the job.
But Pitino did stump for one of his former Knick players, suggesting they hire Mark Jackson in the Garden.
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And the seemingly blackballed Jackson — who hasn't coached in over a decade — appreciated the endorsement of his mentor.
'He's a legend. I love him to death,' Jackson, speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, said of Pitino, who coached the point guard during his first two seasons with the Knicks.
Jackson won NBA Rookie of the Year under Pitino in 1988 and was an All-Star the next season.
3 Rick Pitino addresses reporters during a press conference on March 21, 2025.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
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'I'm not in the league 17 years playing if he's not my first coach,' Jackson said. 'I'm forever grateful, and he's Coach to me.
'He's a brilliant basketball mind. He's turned over St. John's University and turned back the hand of time to bring them back to their glory days. It's great to watch. It's fun to watch. He's one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports, not just basketball. And on top of that, he's got great taste by that statement.'
One can question the Knicks' taste in abruptly firing Tom Thibodeau on June 3, just three days after they were eliminated from their first Eastern Conference finals since 2000.
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3 ESPN analyst Mark Jackson is pictured before a December
2018 game.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Since then, Knicks president Leon Rose has been denied permission to speak with Dallas' Jason Kidd, Houston's Ime Udoka, Minnesota's Chris Finch, Atlanta's Quin Snyder and Chicago's Billy Donovan, according to multiple reports.
The Post's Stefan Bondy has confirmed the Knicks are expected to interview former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and former Kings coach Mike Brown, each fired earlier this season.
The Post reached out to the agents for both Jenkins and Brown on Saturday, with neither returning calls.
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3 Mark Jackson coaches during a December 2013 game for the Warriors.
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Though there is no indication Jackson is a candidate for a Garden return, Pitino — who coached the Knicks from 1987-89, and earned AP Coach of the Year this season for St. John's — took to social media earlier this week to tell his former employer that there is an ideal candidate actually available.
'I obviously coached our rookie of the year, Mark Jackson,' Pitino tweeted Wednesday. 'I believe he spent 18 years in the NBA as a player. Great coach with the Warriors and one of the brightest minds I've coached. Would love to see the Knicks bring Mark Jackson home!!'
Certainly New York would be a return home for Jackson, after growing up in Brooklyn and starring at St. John's before having two stints with the Knicks in a 17-year playing career.
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He coached Golden State from 2011-14 and played a key role in turning around a losing Warriors team into a contending team.
But after posting a 121-109 record with two playoff appearances in Golden State, Jackson was fired in 2014 and hasn't coached since.
The Post also has reported that ex-Villanova coach Jay Wright isn't interested in the Knicks job despite the presence of former Wildcats Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.
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UConn's Dan Hurley also preemptively withdrew.
Michael Malone (who won the 2023 NBA title with Denver), Frank Vogel (who won with the Lakers in 2020) and Mike Budenholzer (who won with Milwaukee in 2021) are available, as are Detroit assistant Luke Walton and Cleveland assistant Johnnie Bryant, the latter of whom was Thibodeau's associate head coach from 2020-24.
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MLB's best catcher Cal Raleigh smashes records. His biggest fan? The GOAT backstop.
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Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
New York Post
an hour ago
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In 2017, Michael Eisner's Tornante Company bought Portsmouth, which is stationed on England's south coast and plays in the second tier, for a mere $7 million. It was a 'great club that needed direction' and wasn't 'catastrophically overpriced like 90% of sports clubs around the world,' Eisner told The Post. The former chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, he's also invested in NHL and MLB teams. 12 LeBron James watches a Liverpool match. He's a stakeholder in the team, which recently won the Premier League Championship. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement But not everyone is thrilled with American involvement, and in some cases, Maguire noted, 'The clubs' loyal local supporters may not like it.' The fervent fans of Manchester United have spent two decades at loggerheads with the Glazer family, an American dynasty that made its money in shopping malls and also owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Detractors allege that the Glazers have saddled the once debt-free club with liabilities — over $1 billion according to some reports — while paying themselves handsomely and neglecting the team and its crumbling Old Trafford stadium. The Glazers rarely attend matches, and United had its worst season ever this year, finishing in 15th place. Advertisement 12 Some fans haven't loved what Avram Glazer (left, with Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada) and his family have done with Manchester United. AFP via Getty Images 'There's no doubt that the Glazers … aren't really football fans,' Maguire said. 'What they are is fans of money and that's always their focus.' When they bought United in 2005, it was worth an estimated $1.5 billion. Last month, Forbes ranked it the world's second most valuable football club, at $6.6 billion. Under the Glazers, the club's revenue has quadrupled, to roughly $900 million for the 2024-2025 season, according to projections. Compared to the Glazers, Wagner has strived to be a different sort of mogul on the pitch. After Knighthead took over Birmingham City in July 2023, the American financier immersed himself in the English game. 12 Billionaire Tom Wagner strives to be an involved owner. Getty Images When the team was relegated from the Premier League to the second tier after his first season, Wagner stood at his seat talking to fans about his plans to return the club to former glories. 'I wanted them to know I was hurting as much as them and that we understood the responsibility to make it right,' he said. Wagner insists the Knighthead ownership group attend away matches not in hospitality suites but with traveling supporters in the stands. 'It means engaging with fans, cheering with them, going through all the joys and sorrows,' he said.'That means buying a round of pints and talking at the bar.' The American celebrity invasion isn't limited to England. 12 Eva Longoria (with husband José Bastón) is an investor in Mexico's Club Necaxa. Getty Images Actors Eva Longoria and Kate Upton are investors in Mexico's Club Necaxa, while talk show hosts Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa have shares in Italian team Campobasso. Basketball star Kevin Durant has acquired a stake in the reigning European Champions, Paris Saint-Germain. Two years ago, JP Morgan was set to fund a $4.2 billion European Super League, where 12 of the continent's top teams would form a breakaway competition. The idea was met with huge backlash from fans and even Prince William weighed in, warning that it could 'damage the game we love.' The idea was shelved and the US banking behemoth issued a surprising apology. But, the Yanks continue to advance on English turf. 12 Kate Upton also has a stake in Mexico's Club Necaxa. Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA If just two more clubs in the Premier League succumb to US investment, it would mean the Americans have the 14 votes needed to pass any vote and potentially change the league in dramatic ways, such as staging games stateside. 'While American-led attempts to change the Premier League have been foiled, it's unlikely such ideas have gone away for good,' Maguire said. 'It's not over yet.'
