It goes without a doubt that Phil Jackson is one of the greatest NBA coaches ever. Not only from the wins and championships but because of the influence and relationships that he developed with his players and franchises. Michael Jordan is considered the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball and refused to play for any other coach besides Jackson.
Even to this day, whatever Jordan wants, he gets. As an NBA coach, it's a pleasure to be able to coach not just one, but two of the greatest basketball players of all time, MJ and Kobe Bryant.
Outside of being a stellar coach, Jackson served as a player, an author, and as an NBA president over his career. It's also not very common for an NBA coach/player to have such a dominant and effective career in a league for nearly six decades (from the 60's to the 2010s). Jackson was a resident of the state of Montana and grew up in a clergy home, which may be responsible for some of his professional success.
16 Most NBA Championships As A Coach
Phil Jackson served as an NBA head coach for nearly four decades. Over those decades, he accumulated eleven NBA Championships. With the infamous Chicago Bulls, he coached legendary players such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr. With the Los Angeles Lakers, he cocked Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and Derek Fisher.
15 Most Championships By Any Person
Along with those 11 championships that Phil Jackson accumulated as a head coach, he was a winner before then. He won two NBA Championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973; both seasons they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. However, in the 1970 season, Jackson did not play in the finals series due to facing a spinal injury. Along with winning a ring, he wrote a book called, Take It All.
14 Braveheart
One of Phil Jackson's strategies to motivating his players is to make the team watch, Braveheart. Jackson found that the film rilled up emotions from his players that sustained their motivation for the entire season. Braveheart (1995) is a historic war film, starred by Mel Gibson, about the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England.
13 Not His Triangle Offense
For decades, people believed that the legendary Bulls' triangle offense belonged to Phil Jackson, but The Last Dance revealed that it was a lie. The triangle offense was originally invented by Tex Winter, who served as a Bulls' assistant for 14 seasons. Doug Collins who served as the head coach before Phil Jackson, would not listen to Winter's triangle offense ideas. That triangle offense is most responsible for the Bulls' success.
12 The Life Of Zen
Phil Jackson stated that this favorite book was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Jackson stated that the book is one of the most influential things he has ever come across in his life. Jackson would use Zen exercises, yoga, and pilates in his practices to improve not only the physical health but the mental health of his players. During the 80s and 90s, Jackson's players may not have understood the importance of those exercises, but in 2020, mental health is everything.
11 President Of The New York Knicks
On March 17, 2014, Phil Jackson was hired as the president of the New York Knicks. As president, Jackson made several wrong business moves that contributed to the continued failures of the New York Knicks' franchise. He signed Lamar Odom who never stepped on the court as a New York Knick. He signed Shannon Brown who faced several NBA suspensions because of drug abuse. Jackson hired Derek Fisher as the head coach of the New York Knicks, who later had the second-worst winning percentage in Knicks's coaching history.
10 Always A Winner
Over the 22 seasons that Phil Jackson served as an NBA head coach, he never had a losing record. Jackson has the highest winning percentage of all NBA coaches in the NBA Hall of Fame. With Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as your star players, it's nearly impossible to have a losing season. Even though the players are the ones on the court making all the plays, coaches play a strong responsibility in a franchise's success.
9 Once Upon A Coach Of The Year
It's not hard to believe that Phil Jackson has the highest winning percentage of all NBA coaches, but it is hard to believe that he's only been awarded Coach of the Year one time. The season in which the bulls won a record of 72 games, was the only season in which Phil Jackson was named the NBA Coach of the Year. You would think that consistent success would come with more awards, but that wasn't the case for Phil Jackson.
8 No Mj, Without Phil Jackson
In the eight seasons that Michael Jordan played for Phil Jackson, his winning percentage was 455-130 (.778) in the regular season and 105-37 (.739) in the playoffs. Michael Jordan played seven seasons without Phil Jackson as his coach, and his whole basketball career looks upside down. His regular-season percentage was 251-236 (.515) and 14-23 (.378) in the playoffs. Michael Jordan won all six of his rings with Jackson on his bench.
7 No Kobe, Without Phil Jackson
In the eleven seasons that Kobe Bryant played for Phil Jackson as his head coach, his winning percentage was 568-269 (.679) in the regular season and 118-62 (.656) in the playoffs. For eight seasons that Kobe Bryant did not have Jackson as his coach, his percentages tremendously dropped. In the regular season, his percentage is 255-188 (.576) and 17-23 (.425) in the playoffs.
6 No Shaq, Without Phil Jackson
Shaquille O'Neal is considerably the most dominant center to ever touch the basketball court. In total, O'Neal won four NBA Championships, but three of those were with Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant. In the five seasons that O'Neal played for Phil Jackson, his percentage was 262-92 (.740) in the regular season and 64-28 (.696) in the playoffs. In the 14 seasons in which O'Neal played for other coaches, his percentage slightly dropped in the regular season, 557-296 (.653), and in the playoffs, 65-59 (.524).
5 Live And Breathe, New York City
It's been decades since Phil Jackson wore a New York Knicks jersey, but some of his basketball roots come from the Big Apple. He played eleven seasons with the New York Knicks (winning two NBA championships) and two seasons with the New Jersey Nets and later served as President of the New York Knicks. While Jackson served as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, he never missed a New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.
4 Could Have 2 More Rings
The Last Dance illustrated to the world that the 1997-98 season would be the last season that Phil Jackson would be the coach of the Chicago Bulls. After Phil's departure, Michael Jordan retired from the game of basketball. Jackson strongly believes that if he wasn't fired and Michael never retired, then both of them would have won two more rings together, "Definitely. Without a doubt", Jackson told the Houston Chronicle in 2010.
3 From Coach, To Colleague
Phil Jackson played college basketball at the University of North Dakota under head coach, Bill Fitch, and assistant Jimmy Rodgers. When the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary, Fitch and Jackson were voted among the top coaches in NBA History. Before Jimmy Rodgers served as an assistant to Jackson with the Bulls, Rodgers was once the head coach of the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.
2 The Last One
Phil Jackson may have won eleven NBA Championships, it was something special about winning the 2010 NBA Finals. In his book, Eleven Rings, Jackson listed the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals as the most satisfying victory of his career. This win may have meant more to him and created the most nerves because Michael Jordan never let an NBA Finals come to a Game 7.
1 Fighting Cancer
In March of 2011, Phil Jackson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He told the Lakers organization in May of 2011 when the Lakers were facing the Dallas Mavericks' in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Jackson decided to delay his surgery so that he could still serve as head coach for his team. Even though Jackson faced a daily battle of cancer, he tried to not let it interfere with his executive responsibilities as an NBA president.
Sources: ESPN, The Ringer, Jon Bunge Chicago, NBA.com
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