While Phil Jackson enjoyed just as much success with the Los Angeles Lakers as he did with the Chicago Bulls, it’s always seemed as if the current New York Knicks president enjoyed his time more in the Windy City.
Perhaps that sentiment was confirmed even more after a recent, unpublished quote from Phil Jackson made it’s way to the interwebs.
Speaking with Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, the basketball reporter recalled a time in which Jackson suggested that the Kobe Bryant – Shaquille O’Neal lead LA Lakers were childish in comparison to the Chicago Bulls, despite the fact he had to deal with Dennis Rodman.
“This group…” and I think he’s mostly referring to Shaq and Kobe. “This group has been so childish that they keep tabs on who gets more benefits, who has more discipline, those kind of things, and it’s tough because you can’t keep tabs.” This is all Phil talking. This is all direct quote. “Guys should have to know there’s a certain amount of coaching that has to be done, and you have to submit to that coaching regardless, and that has been a difficult thing because some of these players have not really wanted to be coached. That’s how you get to be a good team. And we did it the first couple of years, but it became difficult, so that’s one of our challenges that we had trouble surmounting last year, that we became so sure of ourselves that it was difficult for me to coach that team.” And I ask him if he’s referring specifically to Kobe, and he says “some of it lies with Kobe and some of it lies with Shaq. They’re the two leaders. They have to be the most coachable.” So he’s drawing a really strong distinction now between those Bulls teams — we often compare them because Bulls teams had two three-peats.
Of course, Phil Jackson is known to purposely ruffle a feather or two and with all the attention Shaq and Kobe Bryant recently received from their podcast, perhaps their former coach is trying to get the spotlight shining brightly on him again.
