Phil Jackson once suggested that the Los Angeles Clippers should have considered relocating instead of sharing a crowded NBA market.
The legendary coach made the comments back in 2011 when the Sacramento Kings were being linked with a potential move to Anaheim.
Jackson believed the situation highlighted how unusual the Los Angeles basketball landscape had become.
Phil Jackson questioned idea of another team entering Los Angeles market
Speaking in a 2011 interview with ESPN, Phil Jackson criticized the idea of placing yet another NBA franchise close to the Los Angeles area.
“What other metropolitan area has three teams in it? It’s ridiculous to put another franchise in this market. It just doesn’t make sense to do that,” Jackson said.
He added: “They’re putting publicity out and trying to seed the ground, but there hasn’t even been a formal Board of Governors [decision] in front of the owners.
“There’s definitely a push, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen.”
At the time, the Sacramento Kings were rumored to be relocating to Anaheim, which would have created another NBA presence in Southern California.
Jackson believed the region already had enough basketball competition with the Lakers and Clippers sharing the same city.
Phil Jackson thought Anaheim once made sense for the Clippers
The former Lakers coach also revealed he had long believed Anaheim would have been a logical destination for the Clippers earlier in their history.
“They’ve been talking about Anaheim ever since I’ve been in town [in 1999], so I guess I’m not surprised about it.
“We were always surprised the Clippers never went there because it seemed like an appropriate place for them to go at that time,” the Zen Master continued.
He concluded, stating: “Then, when Staples [Center] opened up, this has been a joint venture here that’s worked out relatively well. I’ve never heard of anything like it. I mean, you think about the Dodgers and the Angels playing on the same field, it would be pretty impossible.
“But, here we are. We’re doing it, and we made it work. But to have another team, 40-45 miles away, that puts a lot of pressure on everybody in the area.”
Jackson’s comments reflected the unusual situation of two NBA franchises sharing the same arena in Los Angeles.
While the arrangement ultimately worked for both teams, he believed the market might have been less crowded if the Clippers had moved earlier.
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