Knicks hire Phil Jackson: NBA addresses potential conflict of interest with Jeanie Buss

When the New York Knicks' courtship of Phil Jackson finally ended with the Zen Master signing on the dotted line, the NBA was presented with an unimaginable conflict of interest case. 

With the respective presidents of the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers engaged to be married, the NBA has swiftly deployed a league official to release a statement regarding the rather unique circumstance. 

"The Knicks' hiring of Phil Jackson is subject to the league's conflict of interest rules," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said via Darren Rovell of ESPN. "To avoid even the appearance of a conflict, we have addressed the issue with the Knicks and Lakers to ensure that the relationship between Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson will not affect how the teams operate."

After 13 years of dating, Jackson and Buss announced their engagement back in 2012, spawning an issue for the Association since the 13-time NBA champion began flirting with several organizations about assuming their helm. 

While Bass failed to elaborate on how the league plans to mandate their relationship, the NBA will certainly keep a close eye on dealings involving the NBA's two biggest markets.