Jackson, Buss nominated for the Hall of Fame

SAN ANTONIO —  The Lakers have nominated Coach Phil Jackson and owner Jerry Buss for the Hall of Fame, potentially adding to their stable of 17 inductees in Springfield, Mass.

Coaches, unlike players, do not have to be retired for five years to be considered for the Hall of Fame, but need to have 25 years of coaching experience. Jackson is in his 16th season as a head coach, but his time as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets counts toward the requirement.

The Hall of Fame will announce inductees during next month’s All-Star break. The induction ceremony will be in late September.

“It’s an honor,” Jackson said. “I’ve always said these types of things are a reflection of a lot of things -- the system that we’ve run, the influence of the people that have been on my staff, and the players we’ve been lucky enough to have coached.”

Jackson then lobbied for Lakers consultant Tex Winter, who is in the Hall of Fame as a “contributor,” but not as a coach.

“They put him in as a contributor, which is almost an insult,” Jackson said. “He’s a great contributor, but he’s also been a great coach and an innovator.”

Jackson has won nine NBA titles as a coach and has an overall record of 903-366 (.712).

“In our opinion, he’s the greatest coach of all time,” Lakers spokesman John Black said. “Some people, mostly East Coasters, would argue it would be Red Auerbach, but in our opinion he’s the best of all time. Period.”

In 1979, Buss bought the Lakers, the L.A. Kings, the Forum and a 13,000-acre Kern County ranch in a $67.5-million business transaction from Jack Kent Cooke. The Lakers have won eight championships since Buss purchased them and were valued at $529 million last season by Forbes magazine.

Owners are less frequently voted into the Hall of Fame than coaches and players, and Buss would have to be included under the “contributors” section that so irked Jackson, but Black hopes it will happen.

“We certainly think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” Black said. “For Phil and him to go in together would be cool.”

TONIGHT

at Dallas, 6:30 PST, TNT

Site -- American Airlines Center.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 26-13, Mavericks 32-8.

Record vs. Mavericks -- 1-1.

Update -- The Mavericks and Phoenix Suns have distanced themselves from the rest of the Western Conference, if not the league, with their successful up-tempo schemes. The Lakers lost to the Mavericks last month in Dallas, 110-101, but beat them Jan. 7 at Staples Center, 101-98.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com