It turns out the Knicks’ and Lakers’ houses won’t be joined in marriage after all, as Lakers’ president and part-owner Jeanie Buss and Knicks’ president Phil Jackson announced on Twitter Tuesday that they’d called off their engagement.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) December 28, 2016
Nothing but love and respect for this man. @PhilJackson11 https://t.co/jlgNhnZvOA
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) December 28, 2016
The love of my life is the Los Angeles Lakers. I love Phil & will always. It's not fair to him or Lakers to not have my undivided attention
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) December 28, 2016
Jackson and Buss announced their engagement in January 2013, after he left the Lakers after the 2011 season and took the job as Knicks’ president. Buss told USA Today‘s Sam Amick in 2015 that being on opposite coasts was tough on them, but that she wanted him to be happy:
“For me, this last couple of weeks has been hard because I lost my dog, my little Princess (a Maltese) who has been my constant companion for almost 13 years. She was sick for a long time, and she finally lost her battle and her little heart failed. It was very painful for me to go through that, and I didn’t have Phil to lean on. It made me sad and lonely that I didn’t have him as a shoulder to cry on, because anybody who has had a dog knows how hard it is. So I still haven’t seen him since it happened. I’ll for sure see him in Las Vegas, because he has summer league and I’ve got owners meetings. So we’ll spend some time in Las Vegas. And not having a dog is going to allow me to travel more and spend more time with him, so it’s sad.
“I wasn’t with him on Father’s Day. We miss a lot of things together, and it’s a sacrifice. But I think anybody who has been in a long-term relationship knows that if one person isn’t happy, then it’s hard for the relationship to be happy. And Phil needed something to do. Now I wish it would have been a little bit closer to home, but he found something that he’s enjoying and will hopefully be successful – but not at the cost of the Lakers.”
Relationships ending can be tough, but both Jackson and Buss seem at peace with this. Being engaged to a rival executive who lives on the opposite coast isn’t easy either, and it’s understandable how that could make “sustaining a relationship difficult.” While announcing their relationship’s end on Twitter may seem odd at first, that lets them get their story out before the tabloids run with their own version. House Knicks and House Lakers may not be joined by this, but that may work out for all involved.
