Phil Jackson, who won 5 NBA Championships alongside Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, accused the shooting guard of being governed by anger.
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Kobe Bryant may never have won a championship if not for Phil Jackson. While this seems like a far-fetched statement, there is a certain truth to it too.
Phil is arguably the greatest coach who ever lived. He started his career in the NBA with the exceptional Chicago Bulls that were being led by Michael Jordan.
With the fearsome duo of Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Phil carried the Bulls to six championships in just 8 years. Two three-peats aren’t normal for any team and yet Jackson’s Bulls made it look easy.
But Michael Jordan’s existence always contested Phil’s greatness. People couldn’t help but question if the only reason Chicago achieved what they did was because of MJ.
So, Phil Jackson did the only act that could reinstate his legend. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers and won three consecutive finals, pushing his total championships won to 9. His three-peat count was now up to 3 and there were no doubts left.
With the Bulls, Jackson’s biggest problem was Jerry Krauser. But he had all the support he needed from his players. However, things were vastly different with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers had two megastars. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were the best duo in the league. But for Jackson, this meant soothing two extremely big egos.
Unable to please both, Phil Jackson had a fallout with Bryant. Things turned sour between the two and the head coach made a very big revelation in his memoir ‘The Last Season.’
Phil Jackson claimed he wasn’t ‘entirely surprised’ by Kobe Bryant’s legal case
Following the 2003 playoffs loss to San Antonio Spurs, Kobe Bryant underwent knee surgery. He decided to spend some time recovering at a luxury lodge in Colorado. But was arrested by July after being accused of s*xually assaulting a 19-year-old.
In his book, Phil Jackson wrote how he felt after hearing about the case for the first time.
Jackson: “Was I surprised? Yes, but not entirely. Kobe can be consumed with surprising anger, which he’s displayed toward me and his teammates.”
Jackson’s words aren’t just shocking but they cut right through the mirage. NBA isn’t always camaraderie and teamwork. Even for someone as zen and calm, Bryant was a little too extreme.
Jackson and Bryant had such a bad fallout that the coach left the Lakers in 2004. However, he ended up rejoining the squad only a season later. The two must have patched up their differences because Bryant and Phil went on to win two more championships together.
