Phil Jackson Articles - Page 3

One of the reasons behind the end of the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s was the fact that head coach Phil Jackson parted ways with the team following after the 1997-98 campaign. Whatever may have caused Jackson’s departure, the fact of the matter is that he joined the Los Angeles Lakers where he would […]

Episodes 9 and 10 of “The Last Dance” brought the 10-part docuseries to a bittersweet end, reliving not only Michael Jordan’s final moments as a member of the Chicago Bulls but leaving the sting of the potential “what if” as the dynasty broke up after that sixth championship. Let’s take a look at some of […]

In Sunday’s final couple of episodes of “The Last Dance,” the series reached its climax when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls finally claimed their sixth title following what was a grueling 1997-98 campaign. In the aftermath of that memorable title run, then-head coach Phil Jackson called the team to one final meeting before most […]

The legend that was Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game” continues to be one of the most valiant individual performances by an athlete in any major sport. But if then Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson had his way in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, the now-iconic moment probably wouldn’t have […]

The third episode of ESPN’s Chicago Bulls documentary, entitled “The Last Dance,” spotlighted former Bulls forward Dennis Rodman. While Rodman had established himself as one of the best rebounders and defensive players in the NBA by the early 1990s, he had also developed a rather controversial persona. But Bulls management–having lost former power forward Horace […]

Phil Jackson may have taken a laissez-faire approach with Dennis Rodman (see: Vegas) but, as it turns out, the Zen Master relied on a close friend of Rodman’s to help keep the Hall of Famer in line: Pearl Jam bandleader Eddie Vedder. Ahead of the final episodes of “The Last Dance”, ESPN re-published an installment […]

Charley Rosen, a confidant, close friend, and biographer of former New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson has come out with a controversial statement. According to Rosen, then-Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony’s refusal to buy in on Jackson’s system is what led to the failed implementation of the triangle offense in New York, and ultimately, Jackson’s […]

Jeanie Buss knows that having won a record 11 NBA titles as a head coach, Phil Jackson is currently the most successful coach in league history. However, following his retirement in coaching in 2011, Jackson ventured into becoming a league executive. In 2014, Jackson joined the New York Knicks as the team’s president — something […]

Nick Nurse will forever go down in history as the man who coached the Toronto Raptors to an unprecedented title run in 2019 — the first in the team’s franchise history. Recently, the 52-year-old did a lengthy interview with Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Nurse admitted that legendary coach Phil Jackson — who himself is a […]

During the Los Angeles Lakers’ run of dominance between 2008 and 2010, forward Pau Gasol played a pivotal role in the team’s success. The team acquired Gasol in a blockbuster trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in February of 2008, and the team was off and running as a legitimate title contender once again. Gasol proved […]

Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace aka Metta Sandiford-Artest was a pivotal piece in the Los Angeles Lakers’ title run in 2010. The Lakers brought the feisty 6-foot-6 swingman in as reinforcement as they went on their quest to defend their championship from 2009. Upon his arrival, though, Artest did not exactly make a great […]

In the latest episodes of ESPN’s hit docu-series “The Last Dance,” former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson was asked to share his thoughts on Michael Jordan’s shock retirement in 1993. At that time, Jackson had just coached the Bulls to their third straight title, and Jordan’s decision to turn his back on the game […]

Michael Jordan’s first retirement was one of the main subjects of Sunday’s episodes of “The Last Dance.” After leaving the game in 1993, the Chicago Bulls were left with a gargantuan void to fill, and to his credit, Scottie Pippen did everything he could to step in as the team’s new leader. Pippen opened up […]

One of the most controversial parts of the most recent episode of The Last Dance centered around Scottie Pippen and his incredulous decision to quit on the Chicago Bulls during the 1994 NBA Playoffs. As detailed in the documentary, Pippen simply refused to enter the game in the dying seconds of Game 3 of the […]

Michael Jordan shockingly retired from the NBA after the Chicago Bulls defeated the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 Finals for the team’s third straight championship. Everyone in Chicago was stunned since MJ was the best basketball player in the world and coming off three consecutive rings. In the latest episode of The Last Dance, Jordan […]

Often regarded as the Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman, Scottie Pippen doesn’t quite get as much of the recognition as His Airness does. Despite not getting the credit he deserves, many basketball fanatics still consider the Chicago Bulls do-it-all star as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It’s arguable that none […]

In Episode 4 of “The Last Dance,” Michael Jordan recounted how he first welcomed Phil Jackson as his new coach. The Chicago Bulls had parted ways with Doug Collins, a coach Jordan liked, to bring in Jackson, who had a very different philosophy. Jordan loved Collins and the trust the young coach had in him, […]

NBA basketball in the 2000s has its share of detractors because of the style of play, but it deserves appreciation because there was still greatness every single night. The studs who played within the era speak for themselves, from Kobe Bryant to Kevin Garnett to Tim Duncan to LeBron James to a host of others […]

Steve Kerr knows his way around NBA dynasties. He was a role player on the Chicago Bulls from 1993-98, won two titles with the San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003), and reached the NBA Finals in all five seasons as a head coach with the Golden State Warriors—winning three more rings. Of the many differences between […]

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 […]

Phil Jackson has the most championships (11) and highest winning-percentage (.704) of any coach in NBA history (min. 500 games) and the most playoff victories (229) over 20 seasons as an NBA head coach. He inherited teams laden with young superstars, but extracting the utmost production from stars is a) hard and b) a good […]

Many coaches have flocked to the Yoda of NBA basketball, the wise seer Phil Jackson. Among them is Jim Boylen of the Chicago Bulls, who haven’t tasted ultimate victory since Jackson’s last days at the helm. Boylen knew Jackson would do his homework before offering to help, so he made it a point to do […]

When Steve Kerr got the Golden State Warriors’ coaching job in 2014, many were expecting the longtime sharpshooter to borrow a lot from his old coach Phil Jackson. Be that as it may, Kerr’s coaching style has a heavy dose of Gregg Popovich, who coached him late in his career — yet the teachings of […]

Phil Jackson’s hire was indicative of the metamorphosis the Chicago Bulls would undergo with him at the helm of the ship. The now-famous championship coach was once a former NBA player known for his grit with two titles to his name with the New York Knicks. Yet his transition to coaching took many detours, first […]

With the spotlight placed on Dennis Rodman in Episode 3 of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary, the enigmatic star opened up about his relationship with then-Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. As great as Rodman’s reputation for being a hard-nosed rebounder and defender, the five-time champion was also notorious for his bizarre off-court antics. Fortunately […]

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was a key piece of the Chicago Bulls dynasty through their second NBA three-peat. Playing under Phil Jackson, Kerr certainly learned a lot from the Zen Master. Episode 2 of the highly-anticipated “The Last Dance” documentary — which details the final season of the Bulls dynasty — mainly […]

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss had the pleasure of having a close relationship with two legendary figures in franchise history: coach Phil Jackson and the late icon Kobe Bryant. In an Instagram post on Friday (April 24), Buss revealed a touching story of how Jackson and Bryant’s coach-player relationship continued to blossom even after […]

Michael Jordan never saw a Game 7 in the NBA Finals during his six trips, but he could have come a trip short if his Chicago Bulls had lost to the Indiana Pacers in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. Tied 3-3, then-coach Phil Jackson was preparing to give one of his Zen Master speeches, only […]

As we all witnessed with the release of the first two episodes of ESPN’s unprecedented series “The Last Dance,” it became abundantly clear that there will be a lot of focus on former Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause as one of the main characters in the documentary. Early on, it was shown how Krause […]

Former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson will get his clipboard and pen once again on Sunday, as he breaks down film of Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals as part of the Kobe Bryant-led ESPN+ series Detail. The first episode will feature Jackson going over the Bulls’ 96-54 pounding of the Utah Jazz to […]

With ESPN’s highly-anticipated “The Last Dance” documentary set to air in a few days’ time, featuring Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, our feeds have been filled with all sorts of Jordan stories — and we’re not complaining at all. The Chicago Bulls legend himself has been doing his bit to promote the upcoming miniseries, and […]

Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant was supposed to headline the 2020 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class — arguably the most star-studded group in recent memory. Names like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings and Rudy Tomjanovich, among others, will all be honored on the same night. But make no mistake about it, all […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant wanted his idol, Michael Jordan, or Phil Jackson to induct him into the Hall of Fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced in December the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2020. Bryant was on the list and would have given a great speech had […]

The tributes for the late Kobe Bryant from all over the league continue to pour in. Everyone wants to share their Kobe story in order to let everyone know how the Los Angeles Lakers legend had an effect on their lives. The latest man to give a touching tribute was his former coach in Phil […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are a historic NBA franchise with 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters at the Staples Center and with 11 numbers retired. History, success, and excellence are synonymous with the Lakers. So many iconic players have come through the Lakers organization like Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille […]

Phil Jackson may have put all of his eggs into the Kristaps Porzingis when he drafted him as New York Knicks president back in 2015, but after just one year, Jackson was apparently ready to abandon ship. It seems odd, because Porzingis had a terrific rookie campaign and looked like a superstar in the making, […]

Derrick Rose, with the help of renowned Chicago Bulls writer Sam Smith, wrote an autobiography entitled “I’ll Show You,” detailing the story of his life and what he has gone through in his NBA career. The New York Post shared bits and pieces of the book, which will drop next week. In the book, Rose […]

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel admits that legendary coach Phil Jackson — who led the Purple and Gold to five titles which included a three-peat — had an impact on his coaching style. Per Harrison Faigen of SB Nation, Jackson’s calm demeanor was the one trait that Vogel keenly observed. https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1149129039870742528 Jackson was […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring Frank Vogel to be their next head coach, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says “the influence of Phil Jackson and Kurt Rambis weighs heavily in the Vogel hiring.” Specifically, Woj notes that the Lakers currently aren’t planning to distinguish between the top assistant coach and the rest of the coaching […]