The wisdom of Phil Jackson

“What moves me is watching young men bond together and tap into the magic that arises when they focus  with their whole heart and soul  on something greater than themselves. Once you’ve experienced that, it’s something you never forget.” – Phil Jackson

If there is one thing Phil Jackson knows all too well, it is how young men bond together to become one, and achieve great things. Jackson chronicles his evolution as a person, player and coach on his latest book, “Eleven Rings, the Soul of Success”. More than a memoir of the eleven championship seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, it traces where he picked up all the invaluable learnings which made him different from all other coaches in the NBA.

The dust cover of the book is dotted with the eleven diamond-studded championship rings which Jackson earned over half a lifetime of coaching, which eclipsed the previous record of Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach. He begins the long, winding, scenic story with the celebration of the Lakers’ 2009 championship, expressing his admiration for Kobe Bryant’s growth from a brash young individualistic player to a leader who showed genuine concern for his teammates. He also shared his unchanging discomfort with large crowds and gushing accolades. He did, after all, come from a quiet Montana family background, with Pentecostal ministers for parents. 

Early on, Jackson knew he would not follow in his parents’ footsteps into their faith. There was something about the routine and dogma that did not exactly jibe with his desire to find his own path and continue learning from whatever sources interested him. He was perennially curious, read voraciously, and was willing to try new things constantly. Even as a coach later on, he would hardly fit the mold of a shirt-and-tie-wearing drill sergeant.

After many curious ailments bothered him as a child, Jackson knew he was different. One night when he was eleven or twelve, he had a life-changing experience. He was sleeping restlessly, when he was sure he heard a loud roar similar to an oncoming train, and the noise was coming closer. For some reason, he was unafraid, and felt a sudden surge of energy fill him. After that night, he almost never got sick.

“However, the primary impact of this spontaneous was psychological, not physical,” Jackson writes. “After that night I had a great belief in myself and a quiet faith that everything was going to work out for the best. I also seemed to be able to tap into a new source of energy within myself that I hadn’t sensed before. From that point on, I felt confident enough to throw my whole mind, body and soul into what I loved – and that, as much as anything, has been the secret to my success in sports.”

Jackson got his empathy with players from having been one. He recalls in vivid detail his tenure with the New York Knicks, in the early 1970’s, his sweetest and most ironic memories as a pro. He credits Knicks coach and general manager Red Holzman with molding his initial dream of becoming a coach, and leading the team to two championships. However, the first one was bittersweet, for Jackson. The young forward had been injured and, even though fully recovered, was kept on the injured reserve list to prevent him from being picked up in the coming expansion draft. Thus, when New York won its first championship, he felt that he really didn’t earn it.

That was going to be remedied very soon. With great players who understood the game like Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dean Memonger, Jerry Lucas and Willis Reed, the Knicks won another championship. Along the way, they vanquished their hated Eastern Conference rivals the Celtics, beating them in a Game 7, the first such loss for the storied franchise. Coming off the bench, Jackson felt he was a valuable contributor to the title run.

But as his playing days were winding down, Jackson was alternately being drawn or directed to coaching. He had been traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he was a part-time assistant coach, working with the younger players and getting them engaged into the system. Finally, at the dawn of the 1979-80 season, head coach Kevin Loughery told Jackson he would be cut from the active roster, and the path was set for him. He would become a coach, at a drastic cut in pay.

Throughout his career, Jackson has cited many writers, philosophers and artists as his influences. He has had a long practice of Zen meditation, and has followed the Buddhist belief of being firmly in the moment, unattached to mistakes of the past and fear of the future. He sought out the secrets of peace of mind, tapping into universal knowledge, and culled from every source of wisdom that he could. He explored all possible avenues of learning, retrained his mind not to be immersed in the dictates of the game, and taught himself to see things from a different perspective. This provided him with an objectivity and calm that became hallmarks of his unparalleled success in the decades to come.

More on Phil Jackson’s “Eleven Rings, the Soul of Success” in an upcoming column.