Many in the NBA would easily pick Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time, but one man, no doubt, had a significant contribution to MJ's success. That would be Phil Jackson, who was Jordan's head coach with the Chicago Bulls and went on to continue his greatness with the Los Angeles Lakers.
If Jordan is the GOAT player, then it makes sense too that his coaching counterpart is none other Jackson, who had the fortune of leading both the Bulls and Lakers and reaping unparalleled accomplishments with the two clubs.
So it came as no surprise that people who had worked with Jackson concluded that he is the best in his class. Adam Morrison played two seasons with the Lakers and admitted he was not the star of the team. His coach, however, made sure that Morrison would feel equally significant, like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
For Morrison, the genius of Jackson is how well he managed players and their giant egos.
"He was always even-keeled even when we had a bad run and his energy reverberates across the team. He's just a brilliant manager. He's more of a manager than a coach," the two-time NBA champion told Clutch Points.
Morrison recalled that he mostly stayed on the bench with the Lakers, but he noted that Jackson went out of his way to get all his players involved on the cause. The coach mandated that all members of the roster got their share of the physical workout during team practices.
Most importantly, Morrison swore that Jackson never lost his nerve. The coach kept things together as he put superstars like Jordan, Bryant, and O'Neal under control. How Jackson managed to handle personalities such as Dennis Rodman only adds up to his legendary coaching style, which the report said can be attributed to Jackson's belief in Zen philosophy.
The same thinking allowed Jackson to work as effectively with role players like Steve Kerr. The coach made an indelible impact on Kerr by impressing that he was as valuable as the other Bulls superstar. It was clear that the lessons learned are now used by Kerr in leading the Golden State Warriors.
Another obvious admirer of the Zen Master is Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. CBS Sports said Pelinka intends to employ the Jackson tactics for the Lakers' campaign in the Orlando bubble games.
The team executive is convinced players will be subjected to a higher level of stress in a restricted environment in the bubble city. To keep everyone's sanity, Pelinka is said to encourage yoga and meditation to make for a sharper and sounder mind.
The method seemed unconventional for some of the Lakers roster members, but it proved to have worked for Jackson, who collected a total of 11 NBA titles - six with the Bulls and five with the Lakers.
