Phil Jackson has coached two of the greatest basketball players, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Jackson’s coaching career in the NBA began in 1987 when he was hired as an assistant coach by the Chicago Bulls. He has been the head coach for the Bulls from 1989 up until 1998 and for the Lakers from 1999-2004, and then again from 2005-2011.
Jackson and his mental games are renowned in the community, and it has undoubtedly led the teams he was coaching to win 11 titles. Bryant stood tall in terms of not being tamed by Jackson’s mental games. In the book, ‘Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant‘ by Roland Lazenby, Bryant opened up about his outlook on Jackson’s mental games.
Kobe never quite bought into Phil Jackson’s Zen Master act.
In Roland Lazenby’s book “Showboat”, Kobe discusses his somewhat flippant approach to Phil Jackson’s Mind Games:
“Phil was trying to figure me out a little bit. One of the things I told him is ‘There’s nothing to… pic.twitter.com/aRKQ9slriM
— The NBA Realist (@nbarealist23) October 3, 2023
He said, “Phil was trying to figure me out a little bit. One of the things I told him is ‘There’s nothing to figure out. I’m just trying to play the game and learn the game the best I can'”. Bryant continued, “Once we got that established, we started moving a little bit”.
Kobe Bryant and Jackson were able to win five championships together for the Lakers and make a mark in history. Notably, due to being the head coach of Bryant and Jordan, he was able to grasp the contrast between the two. Jackson noted how Jordan was ready to hear the criticism despite not always agreeing to it, however, Bryant was not.
Kobe Bryant found Phil Jackson’s mind games funny
Jackson’s mind games were so intriguing that it prompted Lazenby to pen them down in his book, ‘Mindgames: Phil Jackson’s Long Strange Journey’. In the book, he traced his journey from the Continental Basketball Association to the championship rings in the NBA.
The Zen Master is the most successful coach in history and indeed knows better than anyone else. The way his mind works and the strategies that Jackson adopted were remarkable, however, there was one person who felt differently about this.
Kobe Bryant spoke about how he and Jackson moved a little bit after establishing that Bryant is just here to play the game and there’s nothing else to figure out about him. Further, he revealed his true feelings about his Zen Master act. Bryant noted, “But I didn’t get into his mind games. It was funny. I found it funny“.
This didn’t come as a shock for fans as they already knew how things didn’t always sit between the two. Their relationship has its own ups and downs, especially in the start as Bryant wanted his freedom in offense. However, it is undeniable that Bryant soared to great heights under the coaching of Jackson.