Phil Jackson coached his last NBA game in 2011, but the Zen Master is still a sought-after resource by the current crop of bench tacticians — including Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
In fact, Vogel has nothing but deep admiration for the legendary coach who guided the Lakers to multiple championships, so much so that he considers Jackson the “GOAT” coach.
“I've always studied and admired his approach. I consider him the GOAT of NBA coaches,” the current Lakers coach told ESPN's Ramona Sherlbune.
In Jackson's illustrious 20-year coaching career, he won the more championships (11) and had the highest winning percentage (.704) of any coach in history (min. 500 games). His coaching is enjoying a moment of appreciation as “The Last Dance” docu-series started airing on ESPN.
Aside from Frank Vogel, Shelburne also cited Nick Nurse, Rick Carlisle, Jim Boylen, Doc Rivers, and Brett Brown as current coaches who have developed a relationship with the Bulls and Lakers icon.
“He confirmed some things that I believe in, which made me feel good, because he's the best coach ever,” Boylen said. “But he also opened my mind up to some things, too.”
Rivers, meanwhile, expressed praise for Jackson's coaching in 1998 after Bulls GM Jerry Krause announced that Phil would be let go after the season.
“Can you imagine being told before the year that you're going to get fired?… Can you imagine having the right mindset to teach? To get guys to buy into their role and do the right thing? I can't even imagine the patience and serenity he had to have to be able to do that,” Rivers explained.
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