13 Classic Photos Of Phil Jackson Back When He Was The Knicks' Hipster Iconoclast

13 Classic Photos Of Phil Jackson When He Was The Knicks' Hipster Iconoclast

Phil Jackson may have been the very first NBA hipster.

Decades before Williamsburg was gentrified or Russell Westbrook helped bring hipster chic to the NBA Playoffs, Jackson was sporting a beard and overalls while riding around New York City on a bicycle during his first stint with the Knicks. A second-round selection out of the University of North Dakota in the 1967 NBA Draft, Jackson was a member of the Knicks' only two championship teams in 1970 and 1973. Not yet the "Zen Master" but already displaying the interests in art and culture that would set him apart from his peers as a head coach, Jackson actually co-authored a book -- "Take It All," a diary of the team's first championship season -- when a back injury forced him to sit out the entire 1969-1970 campaign.

More than thirty years after Jackson left New York, the Knicks are expected to announce his return to the organization at a press conference on Tuesday. While waiting for the Knicks to make Jackson's leadership role officially official, check out these 13 classic photographs of his first run in New York City.

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New York Knicks' Phil Jackson, coach Dick McGuire and Walt Frazier (l.-r.) during practice at McGuire Air force Base. (Photo by Bill Meurer/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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Wilt Chamberlain #13 of the Los Angeles Lakers attempts to block the shot of Phil Jackson #18 of the New York Knicks during an NBA basketball game circa 1972 at Madison Square Garden in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Phil Jackson #18 of the New York Knicks catches his breath on the bench during a 1969 NBA game. (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The 1972-73 World Champions of basketball New York Knicks pose for a team portrait at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY in 1973. Front row (L-R): Henry Bibby, Walt Frazier, President Ned Irish, Chairman of the Board Irving Mitchell Felt, General Manager and Head Coach Red Holzman, Earl Monroe, Dick Barnett. Standing: Bill Bradley, Phil Jackson, John Gianelli, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas, Tom Riker, Dean Meminger, Trainer Danny Whalen. (Photo by NBAP/ NBAE/ Getty Images)
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Knicks vs Boston at Madison Square Garden, Phil Jackson drives in two points. (Photo by Vincent Riehl/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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Phil Jackson #18 of the New York Knicks looks on during a game against the Boston Celtics played in 1974 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Knicks' Phil Jackson does situps after practice session at Pace College. (Photo by Jim Hughes/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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Phil Jackson #18 of the New York Knicks shoots a layup against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1974 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
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A relaxed bunch of Knicks sit around projector with their director, Red Holzman (right), at Madison Square Garden where they're hoping to wind up NBA Eastern division championship round tonight. Present (from left, around table): Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson, Dick Barnett, Jerry Lucas, Dean Meminger and captain Willis Reed. (Photo by Paul DeMaria/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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Bill Bradley and Phil Jackson aren't too big to carry their own luggage at Kennedy Airport after returning from Los Angeles where the Knicks beat the Lakers to win the NBA Championship. (Photo by Tom Middlemiss/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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Phil Jackson #18 of the New York Knicks looks on from the bench against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1977 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain #13 looks to grab the rebound but is surrounded by New York Knicks' David DeBusschere #22 and Phil Jackson #18 during a game at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Phil Jackson stops by Knicks offices at Madison Square Garden with his bicycle on the day of the college draft. (Photo by Dan Farrell/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

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