Phil Jackson's Coaching Legacy

Following the Lakers 2010 NBA championship, many focused on head coach Phil Jackson’s decision to return or retire.

Now that Jackson has decided to return a new question presents itself: is Phil Jackson the best coach in NBA history?

After shattering Red Auerbach’s seemingly untouchable record of nine NBA championships last year, Jackson did not waste any time padding his record in 2010.

Jackson has now coached 11 NBA championship teams.

Jackson began his NBA head-coaching career with the Chicago Bulls in 1989, after many years as a player in the NBA. The Bulls relied heavily on the “triangle offense”, which Jackson had learned from former NBA coach Tex Winter.

With iconic players such as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Jackson helped create a dynasty.

In his nine years as Chicago’s head coach, Jackson’s Bulls won six championships. The Bulls made the playoffs each year and “three-peated” twice.

Jackson retired in 1998, after the final championship in the “Jordan Era” and vowed never to return to coaching. However, when the Lakers offered Jackson a head-coaching job in 1999, Jackson decided to return.

Jackson’s Lakers immediately delivered in his first year, earning the best record in the NBA at 67-15. The Lakers reached the NBA finals after defeating the Portland Trailblazers in the decisive seventh game of the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers went on to defeat the Indiana Pacers in the finals. The Lakers won the title the following two years, marking Jackson’s third “three-peat” as an NBA head coach.

After the 2001-2002 championship season, tension mounted between superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. What began as minor remarks about each other’s leadership, self-centeredness, and work ethic, turned into a full-blown public feud.

The conflict led to a divided team and uncertainty in the Lakers front office. Bryant, who was scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end, continued to add to the heated dispute.

“I ain’t going nowhere,” O’Neal said during a post-game press conference.

O’Neal insisted that the Lakers were his team and said that if Bryant objected to what he said, that Bryant should opt for free agency.

After a demoralizing loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, the feud came to an end. O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for three players, including Lamar Odom.

Consequently, the Lakers did not pick up the option of Jackson’s expiring contract. The Lakers went 34-38 the following season, missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

The Lakers’ dismal coaching and lackluster performance in the 2004-2005 season lead to immediate speculation of Jackson’s return. In June of 2005, the Lakers rehired Jackson.

The Lakers managed to bounce back in the 2005-2006 season, making the playoffs, but ultimately losing in seven games to the Phoenix Suns. The following season the Lakers made the playoffs, but again fell short against the Suns in the first round.

The 2007-2008 season marked a significant improvement for Jackson’s Lakers. With the help of a hot start and a mid-season trade for Pau Gasol, the Lakers once again finished atop the Western Conference.

The Lakers advanced through the Western Conference playoffs to face the Boston Celtics. The Lakers played well, but lost in a crushing sixth game by 39 points.

The Lakers bounced back in the 2008-2009 season, reclaiming the best record in the Western Conference and again advancing to the NBA Finals. The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic by a convincing four games to one margin. With the championship, Jackson was in the NBA record books, tying Red Auerbach’s 10 NBA championships as a head coach.

In 2009, the Lakers yet again claimed the best record in the Western Conference and advanced to the NBA Finals for a third straight year. This time the Lakers had a chance for redemption: a chance to defeat the team that blew them out of the 2008 NBA finals.

The series was an instant classic, going back and forth between two of the greatest teams in NBA history. Two teams with Hall of Fame caliber coaches and players battled to a deciding seventh game. The Lakers, down at one time by 13 points, came back and won the game.

With 11 coaching titles under his belt, Jackson has a shot at a fourth “three-peat”.

Many credit much of Jackson’s success as a coach to his superstar players, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal. Many don’t realize that any coach that wins a championship needs good players.


“Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together,” Jackson once said.

Great players don’t win championships on their own; there needs to be discipline and companionship on a team. How effectively a team combines the two can often determine their success.

What makes coaches great is their ability to get their players to translate their skills, knowledge, and emotions onto the court to the best of their abilities.

In over 50 years of experience, Jackson has acquired great knowledge and understanding for the game. Jackson has learned many strategies and techniques from great coaches that he still uses today.

He is well known for using Tex Winter’s triangle offense: an offensive strategy that relies on good spacing between players, allowing for more passing lanes.

Jackson is known as the “Zen Master” because of the way he incorporates Eastern philosophy into his coaching. His unorthodox coaching style distinguishes Jackson from the traditional NBA coach.

Jackson’s interpretation of Eastern Philosophy stresses a team-first attitude. This creates a family atmosphere in his team’s locker room. Many argue that this philosophy led to his constant success and numerous titles as a head coach.

Many coaches are known for their courtside blow-ups when a player makes a mistake. When a coach screams at a player for messing up, it can often frustrate a player more. However, Jackson maintains a calm and cool approach on the court.

For example, in this year’s Western Conference Finals the Lakers were playing in a pivotal Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns. With the Lakers up three points in the fourth quarter, Ron Artest took a questionable 3-point shot with 1:00 remaining. Artest missed, leaving many people scratching their heads in disbelief. Instead of yelling at Artest, Jackson brought him aside and quietly talked with him. Artest who after the shot was 1-8 shooting, was clearly frustrated with himself. Jackson was able to keep Artest calm and was confident enough to have him on the court with 3.5 seconds remaining with the game tied.

Kobe Bryant cleared the inbound pass and shot immediately, but missed. Artest surged under the basket and hoisted a fall-away lay-up with 1 second remaining.

The Lakers won the game thanks to Artest’s amazing bucket, and eventually went on to take the series and advance to the finals. Jackson gave Artest a shot at redemption and he relished it.

"He has an uncanny knack of doing things, and sometimes it just works out," Jackson said. "He just has a knack for being around crucial plays."

Jackson is not just successful as a coach; he also had a successful NBA career. In 1967, Jackson was drafted by the New York Knicks. Jackson established himself as a key reserve on the Knicks squad. The Knicks won championships in 1970 and 1973, when Jackson was in the prime of his career. Jackson spent the final three years of his career with the New Jersey Nets, retiring in 1980.

Jackson is the ultimate winner, as a coach and a player. The combination of a calm approach to the game and incredible basketball strategies make Phil Jackson the greatest coach in NBA history.




-Nicolas O'Connor