NBA legend Phil Jackson rips league for scheduling games on religious holidays

Legendary NBA manager Phil Jackson criticized the league for scheduling games connected Christian holidays successful a uncommon station connected societal media connected Sunday. 

Jackson, an 11-time NBA champion arsenic a manager and two-time champion arsenic a player, posted the disapproval connected Easter Sunday, erstwhile the league had 4 games successful the archetypal circular of the NBA Playoffs scheduled. 

Phil Jackson of the New York Knicks during the NBA Draft Combine Day 2 astatine the Quest Multisport Center connected May 12, 2017, successful Chicago. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Again the NBA tests religion by playing aggregate games connected Christmas and Easter… ineffable days," the station connected X read. 

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The station was Jackson’s archetypal successful implicit a year, but his disapproval of the NBA is not unique. 

In 2023, Jackson made headlines erstwhile helium said helium stopped watching the NBA pursuing the COVID-19 pandemic due to the fact that the league had gotten excessively political. 

"They went into the lockout year, and they did thing that was benignant of wonky. They did a bubble down successful Orlando, and each the teams that could suffice went down there, and stayed down there," helium said astatine the clip during an quality connected the "Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin" podcast. 

Golden State Warriors guardant Draymond Green greets fans aft winning Game 1 of first-round playoff bid against the Rockets successful Houston, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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"And they had things connected their backs similar ‘Justice.’ I made a small comic happening like, 'Justice conscionable went to the handbasket and Equal Opportunity conscionable knocked him down.'... So, my grandkids thought that was beauteous comic to play up those names. So, I couldn't ticker that."

Jackson was referring to the NBA allowing players to deterioration societal justness messages connected the backs of their jerseys during the bubble successful Orlando. He added astatine the clip that helium felt the league was catering to a "certain audience."

"They didn’t cognize it was turning different radical off. People privation to spot sports arsenic non-political."

Former Los Angeles manager Phil Jackson during a quality league astatine the Lakers grooming installation connected May 11, 2011, successful El Segundo, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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The NBA and NFL proceed to vie for viewership connected Christmas Day. This year, the NFL announced that 3 games volition beryllium played connected the vacation pursuing the occurrence of past season’s double-header connected Netflix. 

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