Phil Jackson can read and understand people, and that’s probably one of the biggest factors in his having 11 championship rings.
That and the great players and teams he coached.
Jackson has a new book out called “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success.” In it, the Zen Master details several different things according to the L.A. Times.
One thing Jackson did was compare how Jordan and Bryant treated their teammates, and how Michael was able to get away with being hard on his teammates, while Kobe was not.
“Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around,” Jackson said in the book, which was obtained in advance by The Times.
“Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college. When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road.”
Jordan and Bryant were eerily similar in their drive and focus in my opinion, but M.J. did a much better job of making teammates feel appreciated and needed, regardless of how average they were in skill.