“Kind of Intimate Partnership That I’d Enjoyed With Michael Jordan”: Kobe Bryant’s Knee Injury in 2010 Miraculously Resolved All Issues With Phil Jackson

The legendary Phil Jackson had the honor of coaching a range of truly generational players throughout his career. This obviously included the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In what acts as a genuine insight into the kind of relationship that he preferred to have with his players, Jackson revealed a heartwarming story related to Kobe, from back in 2010.

According to the Three Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman, Bryant’s struggle with a recurring knee injury led to Jackson developing a more intimate relationship with his player. The book claimed that the only positive from the injury was the fact that it allowed Jackson to create a relationship with Bryant, more akin to the one he had with MJ.

”This injury would bother him throughout the playoffs and contributed to his mystifying shooting slump at the end of the season,” the book said, before revealing the obvious upside. 

“The only upside to Kobe’s knee problem was its positive effect on our relationship. When his knee had started acting up the year before, I gave him the freedom to go light at practice—or even skip one here and there, if necessary, to help him maintain his leg strength,” Jackson claimed. The concern that the Lakers head coach showed seemed to have touched Kobe, and the two’s bond continued to improve. Jackson revealed how he would bounce ideas and spend time criticizing game videos with Bryant, on the team plane.

Eventually, he was able to build a bond with a player which was even better than the one he shared with Michael Jordan, in some ways. 

“Kobe was touched by my concern for his well-being, and the bond between us grew stronger. We often bounced around ideas during practices and spent time scrutinizing game videos together on the team plane. Over time we developed the kind of intimate partnership that I’d enjoyed with Michael Jordan. But the connection was less formal with Kobe. With Michael, I’d often arrange meetings ahead to discuss strategy. Kobe and I talked all the time,” he said.

While things were a lot more formal when it came to Michael Jordan, Kobe and Phil Jackson were effectively friends. This was obvious, simply in the way Jackson sometimes had to set up meetings with MJ, while Kobe was always simply a text/call away. Due to the deepening of their relationship, Phila Jackson and Kobe Bryant would go on to win two championships together in 2009 and 2010. However, while they eventually built a great relationship together, initially, there were more than a few bumps in the road. 

Phil Jackson was convinced Kobe Bryant was ‘uncoachable’

While things seem to have eventually worked out well between the two, they did not start off on the best of terms. While Bryant eventually developed into one of the most hardworking players of all time, he initially seemingly did not heed the coaches, as much as Jackson expected. So much so that Jackson ended up branding Kobe Bryant as ‘uncoachable’, and claimed that he would be leaving the franchise if Kobe stayed, back in 2003.

What’s more, the allegations of sexual misconduct that were levied against Kobe Bryant by a 19-year-old hotel waitress had also been made public around the same time. This led to another rant from Phil Jackson, who later claimed that he was angry with him throughout the 2003-04 season. Jackson said that the incident changed his perception of Bryant temporarily, and brought out a range of unprocessed anger that he had, for years. 

However, as is common knowledge now, the allegations were later quashed, and Bryant went on to win another 2 championships during his Lakers career.