"It's nice to know that she lets him speak in public about other teams" - When Mark Cuban called Phil Jackson "Jeanie Buss' boy-toy"

Yahoo

13-07-2025

"It's nice to know that she lets him speak in public about other teams" - When Mark Cuban called Phil Jackson "Jeanie Buss' boy-toy" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
You know a war of words is heating up when personal matters — like relationships — are brought into the fight. That's exactly what happened in early 2011 between Mark Cuban and Phil Jackson.
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Back then, the Dallas Mavericks' majority owner fired back after the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach publicly weighed in on Dallas's team situation. Cuban, as outspoken as ever, made it clear he was surprised Jackson even had the green light from partner Jeanie Buss to comment.
Western rivalry
Normally, a new year usually brings fresh hope and high expectations. For the Mavericks, however, 2011 kicked off with a tough blow.
On January 4, it was announced that their starting swingman, Caron Butler, would miss the rest of the season after rupturing his right patellar tendon. Losing Butler, a two-time All-Star, was a significant setback.
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Back then, the Mavs and Lakers were the league's cream of the crop, battling for supremacy in the Western Conference. Given their intense rivalry, it was only natural that Lakers head coach was asked about the latest developments in Texas.
When reporters pressed him on Butler's season-ending injury, Jackson didn't hold back.
"He (Butler) just leaves a vacuum that's going to be very hard for them to fill," he said plainly.
That comment — or rather, the fact that Jackson weighed in — didn't sit well with Cuban, who had turned Dallas into a powerhouse after buying the franchise in the early 2000s. The former tech entrepreneur, never one to back down from a fight, fired back from the team's workout facility.
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"I love that Jeanie Buss' boy-toy had something to say about us," he snapped, per ESPN. "I don't know if it was his thought or Jeanie's thought, but it's nice to know that she lets him speak in public about other teams."
Related: "Sad for our franchise, a little bit" - David Robinson admits seeing Kawhi win Toronto a championship hurt him on the inside
Cuban's barb
Buss, whom Cuban referenced, began to date Jackson when he left the Chicago Bulls in 1999 to coach the Lakers — the franchise her father, the late Jerry Buss, controlled since the 1970s.
Jerry molded the Purple and Gold into a dynasty, while his daughter, now 63 and the franchise's controlling owner and president, is often credited for her role in coaching hires and roster moves.
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For Cuban, her influence extended even further, suggesting Buss also dictated when and what her boyfriend could say publicly. Of course, it was a clear exaggeration — likely born from frustration as the Mavericks struggled without Butler and the Lakers' reign as back-to-back champions.
That said, Cuban had thrown sharp barbs at L.A. before. Jackson, however, brushed it off with calm confidence.
"Mark must be really worried. If he's got to comment on that, he must be really worried," said the then 65-year-old head coach.
Responding to Cuban's "boy-toy" comments, he laughed, quipping, "I love it. I consider myself an old man, so to be called a boy-toy? That's terrific."
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Ultimately, Jackson's de-escalating response confirmed why he's rightly known as the Zen Master. His approach embodied a simple truth: pick your battles. Sparring over every slight wasn't his style — the 1996 Coach of the Year reserved his energy for fights that truly mattered.
Related: "All those muscles aren't gonna help you tonight" - Kevin McHale recalls when Bird trash-talked young and overly-muscular Anthony Mason
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.