Phil Jackson’s Net Worth of $70 Million and How He Made It

With regard to the world of basketball, the icon popularly known as Phil Jackson remains an epitome and grandeur of success.  He gradually rose to an enviable spot in his career as a basketball star player and then became a coach much later. Thanks to his illustrious career, Phil was able to attain huge financial success with a net value of $70 million, a figure way too high for an average basketball player. Let’s take a look at Phil Jackson’s net worth, how he made his money, and other relevant facts.

Age and Early Life

Philip Douglas Jackson, better known as Phil Jackson, was given birth at Deer Lodge Montana, way back on the 17th of September 1945. He was born into the family of  Mr. & Mrs. Charles Funk Jackson. Pitifully, Phil’s childhood was characterized by much strictness, which was partly a result of the rural setting he grew up in; there were no socializing media such as television. Also, his parents uphold religious tenets as they are strong evangelists in their church.

It was high school education that eventually took him to North Dakota where he enrolled in Williston High School. There, he discovered his talents in the game of basketball and was absorbed as a part of the school’s team. His presence was a blessing to the team that had little or no record. Among other things, he helped them to win two trophies at the state level.

How Phil Jackson Made His Net Worth

As hinted earlier, Phil Jackson’s net worth came from his career as a basketball player and coach. As his skills were very proficient, he gained a lot of attention and was subsequently signed by an NBA team called the New York Knicks. This happened around 1967 and marked not only the beginning of his professional career but also, the genesis of his wealth.

In as much as his stay with the team was quite short-lived, he was very relevant to the side, propelling several victories for them. Phil abruptly decided to sign up with yet another famous team known as the New Jersey Nets in 1978. With the team, he attained the climax of his career as a basketball player, winning the NBA Championship twice. It was at this stage that Phil Jackson’s net worth began to draw massive attention; he made most of the money that helped him attain financial freedom at this point in his career.

He subsequently bowed out sometime in 1980; resorting to being a coach after his retirement as a player. This marked another phase of career success and financial boom for Phil Jackson. The man has achieved a lot: from winning 6 (NBA Championships) for Chicago Bulls, breaking an age-long jinx, to winning another 5 titles for the Lakers. As a result of this outstanding performance, he was named the NBA coach of the year in 1996 and is widely regarded among the best coaches that NBA ever had.

All of these took Phil Jackson to a life of fame and lavish luxury. From the current evaluation, the net worth of Phil Jackson is estimated at about $70 million. He accumulated this wealth over the years through playing basketball at a professional level, his coaching career, and the leadership position he held as the President of the New York Knicks.

A breakdown showed that he was making up to $11 million in a year as the leader of the Knicks. Also, his contract with the Bulls and Lakers respectively earned him a whopping $9 million and $6 million each year he spent with them. This great coach owns an awesome mansion as a home, he has several dazzling houses and cars worth millions of dollars in different cities within the States. In a nutshell, let’s just say that Phil Jackson’s net worth has made it possible for him to afford most of the comfort money can buy.

Family and Other Facts About Phil Jackson

Now that we have trashed out Phil Jackson’s net worth and how he made it, let’s discuss his personal life. Phil got married to his first crush named Maxine long ago in 1967, the union saw the birth of his first daughter Elizabeth, whom he named after his Mom. Unfortunately, he parted ways with his first wife in 1972 and then got married for a second time to June Jackson in 1974. She gave him four children; a set of twins (Ben and Charlie) with two other children (Chelsea and Brooke). Like his first, the marriage ended in 2000 in divorce.

Next, he dated the owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss. It is said that they became lovers after they met for the first time in 1999. In 2013, the two got engaged before calling it off 3 years later.

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Phil Jackson has a thing for writing and has authored several inspiring books. Notable among them is the best-selling Journey to the Ring: Behind the Scenes with the 2010 NBA Champion Lakers (2010) and The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul (2004).

Quite disheartening is the sad news that broke out revealing that Phil was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011. However, he got a better side of the disease after he had surgery later in the same year.