Phil Jackson became a legendary coach for more than just his triangle offense. Jackson knew how to handle the personalities of all his players, including Kobe Bryant. As the pinnacle of a “player’s coach”, he had one specific method he used to punish the five-time NBA champion during the game.
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Jackson won 11 NBA championships throughout his coaching career. Clearly, he knew a thing or two about coaching winning basketball. Success begins with the head of the snake, and Jackson understood that. If he wasn’t able to keep Bryant in line, then he had no chance at doing so with the rest of the team.
Metta Sandiford-Artest, frequently known as Ron Artest or Metta World Peace, played only two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers while Jackson was the head coach. In his short time, he saw firsthand how Jackson punished Bryant without using a single word. To this day, the one-time Coach of the Year winner’s method baffles World Peace.
“With Kobe, [Phil Jackson] would leave him on the bench longer,” World Peace said on the PBD Podcast. “I don’t know why he would do it.” Of course, Bryant didn’t take kindly to Jackson pulling out this card during a game. The Hall-of-Fame guard didn’t try to mask his feelings either.
“Kobe’s looking down at Phil with those laser eyes. His mouth turned to a bear. Phil’s just like, ‘You’re going to stay there. I know you’re supposed to check in now, but we’re going to give you three more minutes,” World Peace said.
Despite Bryant’s villainous aura sprouting from his inner depths, Jackson was never fazed. ‘The Zen Master’ always looked 10 steps ahead and knew his actions were going to put the Lakers in the best position to win, which they did. That doesn’t mean Bryant was ever on board with coaches benching him.
Bryant spoke out regarding his frustration with benching
After Jackson left following the 2010-11 season, the Lakers signed Mike Brown for the 2011-12 season. He took a page out of Jackson’s playbook and decided to bench Bryant for the majority of the fourth quarter in a regular-season game. Bryant wasn’t the happiest after Brown’s decision.
In an eventual 102-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Brown inexplicably benched Bryant for 4 of the last 6 minutes of the game. During post-game interviews, Bryant released a bit of his frustration. “Of course I was [upset]. That’s an astute observation,” he proclaimed.
Despite voicing his anger, he refused to throw Brown under the bus. Although he didn’t agree with his decision, he respected his belief for what he thought would give them the best chance at winning.
His attitude toward receiving different coaching tactics speaks volumes to the type of player Bryant was: a true superstar whose talent was only surpassed by his confidence and belief in himself.
