The couple announced the end of their engagement Tuesday night on Twitter.
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Knicks president Jackson, 71, cited the difficulties of the long-distance nature of his relationship with Buss, the Lakers president and part owner who lives on the West Coast.
“With mutual love and respect, we have decided to end our engagement,” Jackson tweeted. “With the nature of our professional obligations and the geographic distance between us, sustaining the relationship has been difficult. We have shared many wonderful moments through the years, and we expect to remain supportive of each other in the future.”
Buss, 55, later responded with her own tweets.
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Jackson and Buss had been dating since 1999, and the couple got engaged in late 2012. Jackson, who coached the Lakers from 1999 to 2011 and won five championships with the team, had been rumored to considering opting out of his Knicks contract after this season to rejoin the Lakers franchise.
