From fitness guru to NBA legend: Phil Jackson’s unlikely coaching start in Albany

Albany, NY (WRGB) — He was a fan favorite in the Big Apple for a dozen years—his quirky personality , long arms and strong defense making up for his lack of points. But that’s not what made Phil Jackson a superstar. Turns out, Albany did!

He had been out of the game for more than two years and was running a fitness club in Montana when his phone rang in 1982.

On the line was Albany County Executive Jim Coyne. A year after the Albany Patroons entered the Continental Basketball Association, things were in disarray, and team leaders went looking for a new coach..

In meetings, Patroons officials spit-balled every possible former player who might turn to coaching when they landed on the former Knick with absolutely no coaching experience….Patroons General Manager remembers, “Lo and behold, Phil was the one who said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to try coaching. As crazy as it may sound, that’s how simply it started out”

For the next five years, the six foot eight-inch frame of the unorthodox Zen Master as he was called was a regular sight on the streets of Albany–and the fans loved him.

Holle recalls, “We played our games at the Washington Avenue Armory…before huge crowds…the place where no visiting team wanted to come and see a game.”

The home fans reveled in the high caliber of hoop he brought to the Armory. The turnaround was lightning quick.

By year two, the champagne was flowing as the coaching neophyte took his team to the top of his league with a CBA championship.

Days later, a huge crowd gathered at the Capitol to celebrate their victory and declare an Albany Patroons Day in the city.

Jackson stayed in Albany for five years, and then the Chicago Bulls came calling for an assistant coach, and Phil Jackson’s future was cemented. He never missed the playoffs in his entire NBA career…he would win six NBA titles in the Windy City and win eight more in Los Angeles over his 11 years there, earning him that spot on the list of greatest NBA coaches ever. Holle gave Albany the credit, “We were the launching pad that got him to be a coach and one thing led to another….it all started here.”

Jackson retired from coaching in 2011 and ended up in the front office of the Knicks–a job he was not quite as successful at. Under his watch as Team President, the Knicks suffered their longest losing streak in franchise history–16 straight. They only won 17 games that year and lost 65. He was fired after three years in the front office.