phil jackson michael jordan retirement is one of the most consequential turning points in NBA history, and it happened twice in a span of five years.
Jackson's departure in 1998 ended the Chicago Bulls dynasty, and his final exit in 2011 closed the book on a coaching career that produced 11 championships — the most of any head coach in league history, according to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The problem for fans and analysts is that the story is often reduced to a single break-up moment, when in reality it was a chain of retirements, front-office decisions, and personal choices.
This article breaks down five things you need to understand about the phil jackson michael jordan retirement saga, from the 1993 walk-away to the 1998 breakup and what came after.
1. The First Retirement Had Nothing to Do With Jackson
Michael Jordan's first retirement in October 1993 came as a shock, but it was not a basketball decision. Jordan announced he was stepping away following the murder of his father, James Jordan, that July, citing a loss of desire to play.
Jackson, for his part, publicly supported the move and kept the door open. The Bulls won 55 games in the 1993-94 season without Jordan, a figure that underscores how well Jackson's triangle offense functioned with role players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant.
- Jordan returned in March 1995 with a two-word fax: "I'm back."
- The Bulls were eliminated by Orlando in the 1995 playoffs.
- Jackson rebuilt the team around Jordan, Pippen, and Dennis Rodman the following season.
The takeaway: the first phil jackson michael jordan retirement event was personal, not a coaching conflict. Understanding that distinction matters, because the 1998 split was the opposite — a conflict between a coach and a front office.
How to apply this: if you are researching the dynasty timeline, separate the two retirements in your notes. Treating 1993 and 1998 as one event leads to confused conclusions about who was responsible for what.
2. The 1998 Breakup Was a Front-Office Decision
The 1997-98 season was openly framed as the "Last Dance" — a farewell run in which everyone knew the team would be dismantled. General manager Jerry Krause had told Jackson he would not return as coach even with an undefeated season, a statement widely reported in the Chicago press at the time.
Jordan was blunt about his loyalty. As reported by ESPN, Jordan said he would not play for another coach: he made clear that if Jackson left, he was done in Chicago.
- Phil Jackson's contract expired after the 1998 Finals.
- Jordan retired in January 1999 during the lockout.
- Pippen was traded to Houston, and the dynasty was officially over.
That loyalty was the defining feature of the phil jackson michael jordan retirement dynamic. The player-coach relationship was the load-bearing wall of the Bulls' success, and when the front office pulled it out, the structure fell.
How to apply this: when you read modern "player empowerment" stories, compare them to this 1998 precedent. The idea of a star following a coach out the door started here.
3. Jackson's Two-Year Break Preceded the Lakers Chapter
Jackson did not retire permanently in 1998. He stepped away from coaching for a year, then took the Los Angeles Lakers job in 1999 and immediately won a championship.
| Period | Team | Jackson's role | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-1998 | Chicago Bulls | Head coach | 6 NBA titles |
| 1999-2004 | Los Angeles Lakers | Head coach | 3 NBA titles |
| 2004-2005 | Lakers | Out of coaching | Brief departure |
| 2005-2011 | Los Angeles Lakers | Head coach | 2 NBA titles |
The table shows why the phil jackson michael jordan retirement story is really a two-act play. Act one closed a dynasty in Chicago; act two revealed that Jackson's system could work again with entirely different personnel.
- Jackson's triangle offense became a coaching brand in its own right.
- He coached Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal to a three-peat between 2000 and 2002.
- He later won back-to-back titles with Bryant and Pau Gasol in 2009 and 2010.
How to apply this: if you are studying coaching tree legacies, look at how Jackson adapted the triangle for two very different rosters rather than assuming it only worked because of Jordan.
4. The Numbers Behind the Partnership
The statistical case for the phil jackson michael jordan retirement as a historical pivot point is overwhelming. Jackson coached Jordan for nine full seasons in Chicago, and the Bulls won six championships in those years.
Jordan's scoring average under Jackson was remarkable: he led the league in scoring in every full season he played for Jackson except his abbreviated 1994-95 comeback. The Bulls never missed the playoffs under Jackson.
- Six championships in eight years (1991-1993, 1996-1998).
- Three consecutive titles twice — the only team besides the Lakers and the Celtics to do it.
- A combined regular-season winning percentage above .730 across Jackson's Bulls tenure.
That consistency is why the breakup felt so abrupt. A team operating at that level does not normally get dismantled voluntarily, which is exactly why the 1998 decision remains debated.
How to apply this: use a simple table like the one above when comparing coaching eras. Concrete win-loss records persuade readers far more than adjectives.
5. What Happened to Both Men Afterward
Neither man disappeared after the split. Jackson became one of the most successful coaches in league history and later served as president of the New York Knicks from 2014 to 2020. Jordan retired a second time in 1999, returned with Washington in 2001-03, and became the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets.
The phil jackson michael jordan retirement story also reshaped the Bulls organization. Chicago did not reach the conference finals again until 2011, more than a decade after the dynasty ended — a reminder of how rare that run was.
Jackson's own account of the era, published in his book Eleven Rings, frames the 1998 season as a case study in managing egos and endings. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Jackson in 2007 and Jordan in 2009, placing both men in the same historical pantheon despite the messy breakup.
How to apply this: when you evaluate any coaching-legend story, check what happened to the organization after the split, not just what happened during the run.
Frequently Asked Questions About phil jackson michael jordan retirement
Who announced their retirement first after the 1998 Finals?
Jackson's departure was confirmed first, as his contract expired and management made clear he would not return. Jordan's retirement came later, in January 1999 during the lockout. The sequence matters because the phil jackson michael jordan retirement timeline shows the coaching decision triggered the player decision, not the reverse.
Why did Jordan refuse to play for another coach?
Jordan's loyalty to Jackson was personal and absolute. He had said for years that he would not play for anyone else in Chicago, and he honored that when Phil Jackson's departure became final. In practice, that meant the phil jackson michael jordan retirement was a package deal, not two separate choices made in isolation.
Did Jackson try to bring Jordan to Los Angeles?
No credible evidence suggests he did. When Jackson took over the Lakers in 1999, he inherited a young Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal and built around them. Jordan was retired by then, and the phil jackson michael jordan retirement never involved a reunion on another roster — a common scenario fans speculate about but sources do not support.
Was the 1993 retirement related to Jackson at all?
Not directly. Jackson publicly supported Jordan's decision to step away while grieving his father. The coaching staff gave him space without pressure to return. Any honest account of the phil jackson michael jordan retirement has to separate that personal moment from the later organizational conflict, which had a completely different cause.
Could the Bulls have kept both men together?
In theory, yes — but the front office had decided to rebuild. Ownership and management reportedly wanted to restructure the roster and the coaching staff. The phil jackson michael jordan retirement became inevitable once that direction was chosen, and no amount of negotiation between the two men could have reversed it.
Conclusion
The phil jackson michael jordan retirement saga rests on a few durable facts worth remembering:
- The 1993 retirement was personal, driven by grief and burnout, not by coaching conflict.
- The 1998 split was organizational — management chose to move on from Jackson, and Jordan followed.
- The partnership produced six championships and redefined what player-coach loyalty could mean.
- Both men thrived elsewhere, with Jackson adding five more titles in Los Angeles.
The next step is simple. If you want to go deeper, read Jackson's own account in Eleven Rings or revisit the 1998 Finals coverage, and compare it with the "Last Dance" documentary. Primary sources will give you a clearer picture than secondhand summaries of the breakup.
