Mar
3, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks president Phil Jackson
watches during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at
Madison Square Garden. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
The NBA has fined the New York Knicks
for president Phil Jackson publicly commenting on Ohio State freshman
guard D'Angelo Russell, a league source told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday
night.
It is immediately unclear how much money the Knicks were fined.
Upon leaving Ohio State's game
on Thursday night in Columbus, Jackson told Cleveland.com that Russell
was a "great looking kid, [a] great prospect."
The NBA forbids league officials
from making public comments on college underclassmen. The rule is
partly in place to protect the NBA from the perception that it's pushing
players to leave school early for the draft.
Around the NBA, front-office
executives were surprised Jackson would violate the rule, given that it
is a well-known rule that his peers understand has to be observed. Most
saw it as a window into Jackson's inexperience as a front-office
executive.
After winning 11 NBA
championships as a coach, this is Jackson's first full season as an NBA
executive. The Knicks will have one of the highest picks in the 2015
draft, and Russell is considered the No. 1 point guard prospect in
college basketball.
The NBA fined Phil Jackson $25,000 for tampering with Derek Fisher when he was still a player with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Post a Comment