Phil Jackson’s time running the New York Knicks is remembered as the most disappointing stretch of his basketball life, and in his new book, Masters of the Game, the legendary coach finally points to one person he believes derailed it all: Carmelo Anthony.
Jackson, who signed a five-year, $60 million deal to run the Knicks in 2014, never made the playoffs in his three full seasons as president of basketball operations. His once-mystical ‘Zen Master’ reputation from his championship years with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal evaporated under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. And now, for the first time, Jackson claims that his failed relationship with Anthony was the breaking point.
“Dolan said to me, ‘Are you going to get run out of town by the media?’ I said, ‘I know who the media is; that doesn’t affect me. But Dolan felt it was too much. He said, ‘I don’t want you to go through it. I know what it’s like to deal with these people.’ I said, ‘Unfortunately my relationship with Carmelo is kind of busted, and if he’s going to be here, it’s probably best that I go.’”
According to Jackson, James Dolan, the Knicks owner, wasn’t worried about media criticism; he was worried about Anthony’s growing influence and the dysfunction that followed. Jackson recalled Dolan asking if the press would run him out of town. Jackson said no, but admitted it was Anthony who ultimately made his job impossible.
The tension between the two stemmed from clashing basketball philosophies. Jackson wanted to install his signature triangle offense, the same system that had produced 11 NBA titles. But Anthony, as Jackson put it:
“Hornacek said Carmelo wanted the ball.”
Still, Anthony’s no-trade clause, a rarity in the NBA, left Jackson powerless to move on.
“I had this meeting with Dolan, I said, ‘I don’t want Carmelo back on the team; we’ve got to find a way to trade him. I said, ‘Let’s sit with Leon Rose and explain we’re not going to win a championship. Carmelo wants a championship; he wants to be on a team that has a chance, and he should be; he’s a Hall of Famer.'”
Jackson even shared a story from former Nuggets coach George Karl, who once told him that Anthony’s selfishness went back long before New York. During the 2009 Western Conference Finals, Karl’s game plan was simple: let Kobe Bryant get his points but shut down everyone else. Anthony refused.
“[Karl said] ‘Kobe’s going to get his 30 points and we’ll deal with that; shut down everybody else.’ Carmelo interjected, ‘No, I disagree with that. We’ve got to defend Kobe first. We’ve got to throw everything at him,’ ” Jackson wrote. “ ‘You know why?’ George asked. ‘[Carmelo] said he wanted to be the top scorer.’”
The Lakers, coached by Jackson at the time, won the series in six games, with Kobe as the leading scorer.
The revelations paint a clear picture of what Jackson saw as Melo’s fatal flaw: a self-centered pursuit of validation over victory. Whether it was refusing to adapt to the triangle or demanding the offense revolve around him, Anthony’s priorities, in Jackson’s view, never aligned with winning.
Anthony finally waived his no-trade clause in 2017 to join the Oklahoma City Thunder, mere months after Jackson’s exit. By then, the damage was done. The Knicks had missed the playoffs three straight years, the front office was fractured, and Jackson’s legacy had taken a hit.
For Knicks fans, Masters of the Game confirms what many long suspected: the Phil-Melo experiment was doomed from the start. Jackson envisioned team basketball; Anthony wanted the spotlight.
