The San Antonio Spurs are right up there with the greatest teams in NBA history. After winning their fifth championship since 1999, there is no arguing the Spurs are a dynasty. Some would even say San Antonio is up there with Phil Jackson and his multi-championship Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers teams. Spurs owner Peter Holt certainly thinks so.
When Holt was asked if his team’s fifth championship was the sweetest, he couldn’t resist taking a shot at Jackson. After the Spurs won the NBA title in 1999, Jackson was quick to point out that they did so after a lockout-shortened season.
“Even though it was a shortened, asterisked season,” Holt said sarcastically of his team’s first championship, per NBA.com’s Jeff Caplan. “Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil, we all played the same amount of playoff games, didn’t we, Phil?”
Jackson has also pointed out that he was retired in 1999. He left the Bulls after Jordan “retired” following the team’s second three-peat. Holt isn’t impressed by the way Jackson moved on.
“Yeah, uh-huh.” the Spurs owner said. “Well, he bailed out.”
The Spurs are certainly a different kind of team. They won their five championships over 15-year span, enduring some tough seasons and heartbreaking losses along the way. As successful as Jackson has been, he kind of has a tendency to jump ship when his championship teams show signs of crumbling.
When all is said and done, both Holt and Jackson have plenty to be proud of.
