Phil Jackson: Former player, winning coach, spiritual leader?
Well all know Phil Jackson as arguably one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. With a total of eleven rings (two as a player with the New York Knicks, six as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, and three as head coach of the Los Angles Lakers) Phil Jackson has become a relative icon for winning. But how? What's his secret?
For the last three decades, Phil has been a practitioner of Buddhism, particularly Zen Buddhism. According to the faith, all human beings have the Buddha-nature, or the potential to attain enlightenment. The belief also notes that the potential is blocked or clouded by the frantic lives we live.
Jackson's application to coaching? Well, it's quite simple. As a coach you are a leader, a person to go to in the midst of chaos. Jackson's beliefs have brought him an inner-peace that he tries to instill in his players. Seriously, just think for a moment. Phil is one cool dude. I can count how many times I've seen him jump off of a bench for a bad call, or go loco on a player for an ill-advised shot attempt. Some would say that he's not even a coach, more like some kind of "on-the bench guru" that motivates his players to victory. When really, he's crossed his knowledge of x's and o's with the art of Zen and found a pretty nice medium.
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