Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson speaks during a ceremony for the unveiling of a statue for former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant at Star Plaza outside of Crypto.com Arena. Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Phil Jackson criticizes NBA over playing games on Easter

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Phil Jackson keeps significant distance between himself and the NBA these days, but the legendary coach dusted off his rarely-used X account on Sunday to share some criticism of the league.

Jackson was critical of the league for playing games on Easter Sunday, as well as on Christmas, calling them “sacred days.”

Again the NBA tests faith by playing multiple games on Christmas and Easter…sacred days.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) April 20, 2025

This was just Jackson’s second post on X since June 2018. It’s safe to say he must have felt pretty strongly about this one.

No matter what Jackson thinks, holiday sporting events are not going anywhere. Major League Baseball played a full schedule on Easter, as it usually does, and the NBA was never going to cede the holiday either. As for Christmas, the NBA has even had something of a tug-of-war with the NFL over who gets the spotlight on that day.

Jackson has not had much to say about NBA matters since he left his executive job with the New York Knicks in 2017. Two years ago, he passed on attending the reunion of one of his former teams, though he did make a public appearance in 2024 to honor Kobe Bryant.

Most fans have no objection to the NBA playing on Easter. Jackson, as he often does, is going against the grain with that complaint.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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