The late, great Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson made history together, winning five championships for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, they had to go through a rough patch in their relationship as well at one point. During a conversation with JT Foxx, Jackson revealed the inside details of their fallout in 2003.
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The Zen Master said that the turbulent time in his relationship with Kobe started because of the latter’s ongoing legal battle at the time. Kobe was involved in a se*ual assault case, which made him angry and frustrated. The effects of it were felt in other aspects of his life.
Jackson said, “I had it with Kobe in the first run down. He went through the incident in Colorado, that was an abuse case and that was settled out of court…It was a very difficult year for him. He was angry.”
The 11-time championship-winning coach said that he tried to make it work by bringing in different players. Jackson added Karl Malone and Gary Payton to put the Lakers at an advantage. However, they lost some of the players like Robert Horry and Rick Fox, who were part of the championship-winning teams before. But rebuilding a team in such a difficult time wasn’t easy.
Jackson said that Kobe was having a tough time adjusting to everything.
“Kobe had a real hard time that year and was disrespectful so I went in and told the leadership that even though we are negotiating a contract, I think that Kobe is uncoachable,” Jackson added. He believed that at the time leaving the organization would be in his best interest.
Fortunately, he rejoined the Lakers the next year.
Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson won two more championships
When Jackson joined the Lakers again in 2005, he was pleasantly surprised by the changes he noticed in Kobe’s game and personality. Earlier, he used to be someone who would take all the shots if possible, but in 2005, he was a more mature athlete who understood the value of teamwork and his role as a leader.
Jackson said, “When I came back to coach him, he was 26, 27, a father, and his life had changed considerably. He understood all of that, but what he understood more than anything was about leadership, about being the leader and how you make other players better.”
This understanding led Kobe and Jackson to two more championships. The late legend ended his career with five titles and the Zen Master brought his coaching career to an end in 2011 with 11 titles.
