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Come Fan with UsThursday, June 25, 2026

Report: Kurt Rambis, Jim Cleamons ready to rejoin Phil Jackson if he returns

If Phil Jackson returns to the Lakers in 2012, two of his former colleagues are expected to join him.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Coaching rumors have been flying in and out of Los Angeles following Friday's firing of head coach Mike Brown. The big name to come out as a potential replacement coach is former Lakers guru Phil Jackson.

It remains to be seen how much interest there is from both parties, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, two of Jackson's former aides could return to L.A. should he take the job: Kurt Rambis and Jim Cleamons.

Rambis, 54, played most of the 1980s with the Lakers and helped lead the team to four titles. He was their head coach during the 1999 lockout season and then became an assistant under Jackson in 2001. He most recently served as the Minnesota Timberwolves' head coach, although he was relieved of duties in July 2011. Rambis now does some work as a TV analyst with ESPN.

Cleamons, 63, also spent time with the Lakers as a player in 1971 and 1972. He was an assistant under Jackson beginning in 2006 and spent the last year as a head coach in China.

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