Phil Jackson says he told L.A. Lakers he could 'do the job'

Phil Jackson expressed confidence in his ability to to help the Los Angeles Lakers compete this season, but was still not awarded the job as the team hired Mike D'Antoni on Monday.

Jackson released a statement to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times stating: "I did convey to them that I had the confidence that I could do the job."

Jackson's agent Brian Musburger said they were stunned -- not so much about the decision, but how Jackson learned of it.

Jackson coached the Lakers from 1999 to 2004, and again from 2005 to 2011. The Lakers won five championships during Jackson's two tenures with the team, and he has won 11 NBA championships overall.

The Lakers issued a statement saying that hiring D'Antoni was a unanimous decision by the team. Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash expressed support for the idea of playing for D'Antoni as well. Nash played for D'Antoni in Phoenix when he won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. D'Antoni had an opportunity to coach Bryant as an assistant with Team USA in the 2012 Olympic games.