Phil Jackson

From ArticleWorld

Philip Douglas Jackson is an NBA coach and former player. He was born on September 17, 1945, in Deer Lodge, Montana. Through his years of playing and coaching he has amassed many honors, records, and titles. He is most known for his infamous triangle offense in basketball and his coaching techniques, which are supposedly influenced by the philosopher Zen. This earned him his sports nickname, The Zen Master.

NBA Playing Career

Jackson was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1967. He found out soon enough that the skills that carried him at his small college would not cut it in the NBA. He was a very limited shooter and was not very fast, however, he was very smart and worked extremely hard. Defense was his specialty, and soon enough he was a top player off of the bench and a fan favorite.

After the Knicks won the NBA Championship title in 1973, a few of the starters retired, and before Jackson knew it, he was on the starting team. This did not last long for Jackson and he was retired by 1980.

NBA Coaching Career

After coaching for lower-level leagues, such as the BSN of Puerto Rico and the Continental Basketball Association, Jackson was finally hired on with the NBA Chicago Bulls in 1987 and was moved to head coach in 1989. He stayed here until 1998, winning six NBA titles and coaching players like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and the legendary Michael Jordan. He was known here for his outstanding relationship he had with his team: respect. He was also given credit for being able to handle notoriously difficult players like Rodamn.

Jackson took his coaching expertise to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999. The Lakers won the title his first year in L.A., and then won two more in 2001 and 2002. The next two years were full of struggles and disappointments for the Lakers, and after losing the 2004 NBA Finals, the Lakers announced he was leaving Los Angeles.

The new coach hired resigned halfway through the season, and Jackson was back on the Lakers sidelines again. His future in Los Angeles and the relationships he carries on with the players and management will be watched closely throughout the next few years, and will probably depend on how long he stays in L.A.