Phil Jackson is the most accomplished coach in the history of the NBA and his title reigns with several big franchises are etched in everybody’s mind.
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When one talks about coaching, the general consensus is that a coach stresses on passion, aggression and using psychological techniques to get the better of the opposition. A coach is a man-manager who channels the aggression and passion of the players to get the best out of them in a crucial game. However, what if the same coach achieves success through calmer methods? This breed of coaches are rare. But, one individual has achieved it in the NBA. His calm method and cool head for tense situations has earned him the nickname of the ‘Zen Master’. He has achieved success both as a player and a coach. This is the inspiring story of Phil Jackson, considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NBA.
Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, leading them to six NBA championships. He then coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011; the team won five league titles under his leadership. Jackson’s 11 NBA titles as a coach.
If Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA throughout the globe in the 90s, then the man who was powering Jordan’s brilliance was Jackson. Over nine seasons, Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls to six championships, winning three straight championships over separate three-year periods. The “three-peat” was the first since the Boston Celtics won eight titles in a row from 1959 through 1966.
Jackson and the Bulls made the playoffs every year, and failed to win the title only three times. Michael Jordan’s first retirement after the 1992–1993 season marked the end of the first “three-peat”, and although Jordan returned just before the 1995 playoffs, it was not enough to prevent a playoff elimination by the Orlando Magic.
When he was snapped up by Los Angeles Lakers, the feeling was that he would get the same amount of success that he had with the Chicago Bulls. For some time, it worked. With the talented superstar duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the strong supporting cast of Glen Rice, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Devean George, A. C. Green, Robert Horry, and Brian Shaw, and the assistance of former Bulls Horace Grant, Ron Harper, and John Salley, Jackson led the Lakers to two additional titles in 2001 and 2002, against the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, adding up to his third three-peat as head coach. Despite distractions in the 2003/04 season primarily due to Bryant’s trial for sexual assault, he Lakers beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to advance to the 2004 NBA Finals. They were heavy favorites to regain the title. However, they were upset by the Detroit Pistons, who used their strong defense to dominate the Lakers, winning the title four games to one. This marked the first time in ten attempts as head coach that Jackson had lost in the NBA Finals. This led to his departure from the franchise.
When he returned to the Los Angeles Lakers, On December 25, 2008, Jackson became the sixth coach to win 1,000 games, with the Lakers defeating the Celtics in their first matchup since the last year’s finals. He was the fastest to win 1,000 games, surpassing Pat Riley. Jackson again coached the Lakers to the NBA Finals in 2009, defeating the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets in the process. In the Finals, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 4–1, clinching Jackson’s 10th NBA championship as head coach and surpassing the record for most championships won by a head coach previously held by him and Red Auerbach.
On February 3, 2010, Jackson recorded his 534th win as Lakers head coach, surpassing Pat Riley to become the most successful coach in franchise history. The Lakers would go on to a fifth consecutive playoff berth in 2010. They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns in the playoffs before defeating the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals, earning Jackson his 11th NBA championship as head coach and his fifth with the Lakers.
The success adopted by Jackson shows that a calm approach can yield greater success and also ensure that it transcends various franchises and various playing styles.
