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New York Knicks president Phil Jackson and Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss have called of their engagement, dousing any hope of seeing the former return to Hollywood. The long-distance relationship setup was seen as the prime reason for the split.

That said, all hope of seeing Jackson return to Los Angeles have hit a snag. Some months back, there were speculations that the 71-year-old coaching icon would be opting out and return to the Lakers fold and be closer to Buss. Phil Jackson can choose to opt out of his deal after this season. Both confirmed via Twitter the break-up though there seemed to be no bitter feelings between Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss, ESPN reported.

Apparently, it was more on the professional side of things with Buss trying to get more involved with Lakers, same with Jackson for the Knicks. Ironically, Phil Jackson was open to relocating to Los Angeles even he would not be involved with the Lakers. The apparent intent is to be closer to his former fiancé but the landscape totally changes with the engagement called off.

Moving forward, Phil Jackson is expected to delve in deeper with the Knicks as he tries to fulfill his promise to bring back the glory days to Gotham. The Knicks have a respectable group that includes Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis plus the new additions in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. The Knicks are in the upper part of the Eastern Conference standings with a 16-14 card, a big improvement compared to the last two years.

Phil Jackson believes the team is where he envisioned it to be as the rebuilding continues, according to another report from ESPN. More changes are expected moving forward for the Knicks with age and health issues surrounding its top players. When healthy, however, the Knicks are a dangerous team to reckon with though that may not be enough to bring the ballclub back to the top.