Phil Jackson was recently asked how he believed Kobe felt about him during his longstanding tenure as the Lakers head coach.
Does this answer surprise you?
“Ah, my good friend Kobe Bryant… Yes, quite often I could feel his hatred,” Jackson told ESPN.com. “I’m sure Kobe was pissed when I wrote in ‘The Last Season’ that he was uncoachable. And, yes, we were often at loggerheads. He wanted more freedom and I wanted him to be more disciplined. This is a normal source of friction thing between coaches and players on just about every level of competition.
“But when I came back for my second stint with the Lakers, Kobe and I worked it all out. I gave him more of a license to do his thing, as long as it stayed within the overall context of the triangle. And we did win two more championships. Anyway, I’ve always seen Kobe as a truly great player, an intelligent guy and a remarkable person.”
For me, the answer is no – that’s pretty much what I expected.
I’ve always found Jackson to be an incredibly well-spoken guy, and I know the kind of respect he has for Kobe Bryant. The feeling would have to be mutual, or else their success wouldn’t have been as massive.
Additionally, Kobe hating Phil Jackson was inevitable given the Mamba’s know-it-all attitude on the court. At times I’m sure the pair had much more than what you would call just a “clash”, but they were able to handle it as men and move forward as champions, together.
Phil Jackson may be the luckiest coach on the face of the earth, but he’s also one of the best, ever. Kobe was able to recognize that and worked with him just as his idol MJ had before him. This so-call “hatred” definitely wasn’t everlasting.
H/T SportingNews