Toni Kukoc Sheds Light on Phil Jackson’s Unexpected Approach to Motivating Players

In the 1990s, Phil Jackson led the Chicago Bulls to not just dominance in the NBA, but they changed the game forever. He managed some of the biggest stars in basketball history, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and, of course, Michael Jordan. How did he balance such egos while keeping the team running like a well-oiled machine? Well, Phil had his ways…

Toni Kukoc, who was part of the Bulls roster from 1993 to 2000, celebrated three championships as a member of their second three-peat team. In a recent conversation with EuroLeague, he shed light on how Jackson, who oversaw all six of Chicago’s championships that decade, motivated players in unorthodox ways.

Most coaches, after a poor showing, would let their temper get the better of them. They would call out mistakes, raise their voices, or look frantic while trying to pull their team out of trouble. But even when Jackson’s Bulls trailed by double digits, he always remained calm and positive.

“So, we would be losing by 20 at the half, and then everybody’s like this…,” Kukoc revealed, looking down, to show that the players would be sitting in the locker room, dejected. “He comes in, now you’re gonna expect he’s gonna start yelling at the individual players about bad plays, not doing this…

“He would go like this: ‘We got them exactly where we want them. Let’s start playing basketball and we [will] all [be] good,'” recalled Kukoc.

This invariably brought the spirits up, and the Bulls would approach the second half feeling mentally rejuvenated, realizing that they could turn this game around if they simply turned up and played to their abilities. Even during dry stretches early on, when shots weren’t falling and good looks were hard to find, Jackson encouraged his players to keep shooting.

Kukoc continued, “He calls a timeout and goes like, ‘You shot the ball, you shot the ball, you shot the ball… did you shoot the ball? Okay, we’re playing for him. Preferably, he misses it, so we all miss that shot. And from that point on, let’s start playing basketball.'” 

The approach made Jackson much loved by the players. “It was actually positive that he tried to clear your mind, like you don’t have to think about it,” added Kukoc.

For Jackson, all that mattered was resetting and getting back to what the players knew how to do best: Winning.

Jordan’s admiration for Jackson’s one-word pep talks

During his Bulls run, Jordan always made it clear that he would remain an NBA player only if he was working under Jackson. Netflix’s The Last Dance docuseries captured his love for the 13-time NBA champion perfectly.

The Bulls icon often spoke about how he was baffled by how easily Jackson would lift those around him. “The main reason we do so well is Phil. I like him because of the atmosphere he creates,” said Jordan, in an older ESPN interview.

“Sometimes he can say one word, one sentence, and shake you up, make you think… It’s not a curse, but you get the point,” he added.

Jordan was the face of the Bulls franchise, but without Jackson’s presence, the success he achieved may not have been possible. Jackson didn’t just excel with Xs and Os on the whiteboard; he also held together a locker room full of stars.

Since his departure in 1998, the Bulls have slipped back into a bit of irrelevance, failing to make the Finals even once. Jackson, on the other hand, went on to the Los Angeles Lakers and added five more championships to his resume.