Phil Jackson, one of the most famous NBA coaches of all-time, talks about his time with the Chicago Bull's from 1990-1996. Before he dives into what made the Bulls so great in this time span he talks about his personal life. Jackson grew up with strict religious parents. The strictness of his parents and his religion eventually led him to play basketball as an outlet to get away from all the chaos. Jackson who would end up being 6 foot 8 inches in high school was a basketball phenom in North Dakota. After high school he went on to play at the University of North Dakota and eventually be drafted in 1968 to the New York Knicks. He would win his first championship as a player in 1970 and yet still was unhappy. He believed once he achieved this he would be able to achieve inner-peace but instead felt more lost than ever. Jackson started to search for his inner-peace. He began getting close when exploring religious rituals and finally found the practice of Zen. Zen is a form of meditation and this helped Jackson clear his mind and rid of all anger and toxic feelings within him.
Zen was something he continued to use and even used it with the Bulls. Some found it amusing and others found it to actually be helpful. What Jackson was able to get across during this time is that everyone on the team has one focus and that one focus was winning. It's easy for players in the NBA to put their massive egos before the team but that was never going to fly with Jackson as coach. Jackson was able to achieve a team unity that was unbreakable by anything the media said or did. After this it was up to the players to play with a clear mind and not allow any other team to frustrate or anger them because that's what would cloud the mind. Along with this, Jackson was great at understanding and getting to know his players, throughout the book this is proven by players like Michael Jordan, Toni Kukoc, Scottie Pippen, etc., talking about everything Jackson was able to do for them and the team. These things are what led to the Bulls winning 6 championships between 1991-1998. Ultimately, guaranteeing Phil Jackson a place in the Hall Of Fame.
Themes:
Don't think just do- thinking to hard about anything eventually leads to mistakes being made. Acting as everything unfolds in front of you, is the key to being less stressed and more successful. Don't act out on anger- Anger clouds the mind and makes anyone do something they normally wouldn't do. Control the anger and maintain focus of the goal that is trying to achieve. Inner-peace- Being able to continuously find inner-peace aids anyone's mental state. Happiness is much easier to come by when inner-peace is found. The hardest part is finding inner-peace within yourself.
Favorite Quote: “No doubt I inherited some of that spirit from my mother, who was a basketball player in high school and turned every activity- ironing shirts, playing Scrabble, hiking with her Sunday school class- into an Olympic sport”(31).
This was my favorite quote because it reminds me a lot of my own family. We find competition in anything and everything we do. Losing is not taken easily around my household.
Argument:
Phil Jackson showed the Bulls how to play as one, maintain focus, and come together as a team.
Essay:
The Glue That Kept It All Together The United States is slowly being destroyed. The system is collapsing on itself. We need a leader to bring everyone back together and put the pieces back together. Sacred Hoops, written by Phil Jackson, is proof that Phil Jackson was this leader for the Chicago Bulls in the era that they dominated the NBA. Phil Jackson showed the Bulls how to play as one, maintain focus, and come together as a team. When Phil Jackson became the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, they had the best player in the world, Michael Jordan. As Jackson put it, “[...] he seemed to defy gravity when he went up for a shot, hanging in the air for days- sometimes weeks- as he crafted his next masterpiece.” (22) Jordan just came off winning his third scoring title and it was obvious how great he was. His teammates sometimes would sit back and watch instead of playing with him, this ultimately made them an easy team to guard although Jordan could score sixty, his teammates wouldn’t contribute enough to get them wins. Jackson created an offensive scheme that allowed others to get involved and asked Jordan to take a step back and allow his teammates to get more involved. Once the team finally understood how they could help Jordan with scoring, they became nearly unbeatable. Unless they lost their focus. The Bulls always had one team they struggled to beat. The Detroit Pistons. The Pistons played such a physical form of basketball that they would cause the Bulls players to get frustrated and lose focus of how they are supposed to play. Jacksons says, “Anger clouds the mind,” (54) and indeed it did. Jackson started having the team meditate before every practice and it began to aid their minds. Jackson was able to make them understand that if they kept composed and played basketball to the ability they could, they would beat anyone. The Bulls were finally able to surpass the Detroit Pistons in 1991 and went on to win their first NBA championship as a team. This would be the first of six for Jackson as the head coach for the Bulls. The reason for them winning six was largely due to Jackson being able to bring the team together and have players put winning before any personal accolades. Yes, Michael Jordan was amazing, but he wasn’t the only reason the Bulls were able to win championships. Phil Jackson was so spiritually and mentally wise he was able to keep the team’s bond strong even with the adversity the media would throw at them. Players potentially getting traded, some unhappy with play time and expressed their unhappiness with the media, it didn’t matter. Jackson kept the Bulls from destroying themselves. Even when Jordan retired, the first year without him the Bulls were still able to make it to the Conference Finals and barely lost in seven games to the New York Knicks. Jackson states, “That year was my favorite season that we didn’t win the championship.” (106) Jackson was the glue that kept the team together through it all, good and bad. Phil Jackson is the greatest coach of all time. He was able to develop relationships with players unlike any other coach. Each and every one of his players he loved. Jackson was the glue that kept all his championship teams together. The United States currently needs a president that can lead like Phil Jackson was able to. They won’t be able to fix everything and it’s unreasonable to believe that they could. They can however unite us as a nation once again. This is the America I hope to see within the near future.