Possible links to Phil Jackson
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment — the company that oversees the Raptors, the National Hockey League’s Maple Leafs and Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC – announced the hiring of former AEG executive Tim Leiweke as president and CEO on Friday. Leiweke, who was based in Los Angeles while working for AEG, told Toronto-area reporters in a conference call that he is friends with Jackson, but he wouldn’t commit to having any formal conversations about a role for Jackson with the Raptors.
Jackson told the San Francisco Chronicle this week he’s not interested in a return to coaching but he would like to help “implant the game [and] a culture” by serving in an unspecified personnel position.
“I’ve had some talks with people and there are some interesting situations that are presenting themselves, but I really haven’t made up my mind yet what I’m going to do,” said Jackson. “None of it involves coaching. … There are three or four teams that have been interested.”
Jackson said he would be interested in a developing team “where you’d have the influence in (selecting the) coaching staff and the kind of culture that goes along with it. It goes all the way down to – not down to, but includes – trainers and the people who are doing the hands-on work with players, that have to be really embedded with how you put a team together.”
