“Shaq Wrote a Book Report!”: Lakers’ Owner Reveals How Phil Jackson Coached Kobe Bryant and Team

Published 04/25/2020, 3:30 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Lakers is a 73-year-old franchise that has had its fair share of legends. The team is one of the most successful and popular professional franchises in all American sports. One may credit their success to the good rapport shared by players, coaches and other staff. One such story about coach Phil Jackson and his relationship with the players reinforces this fact.

How Phil Jackson became a memorable coach for the Los Angeles Lakers

One could spot former NBA star and Lakers’ coach from 1999 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2011, Phil Jackson, managing piles of books outside bookstores in L.A. Apparently, Phil chose a specific book for each player (during their first long road trip) and gifted it to them.

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According to the Los Angeles Lakers’ owner and president, Jeanie Buss, some players would jump right in to the books while others would toss them aside and give an eye roll. The latter includes the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

Buss shared a post on the social media platform Instagram, recalling the times when she watched the now 74-year-old veteran dedicate himself to create a book list as per what he wanted to give every player. Unfortunately, some players would joke about the same. Jeanie further writes about Jackson’s response when she asked him if such ungratefulness from the players bothered him.

According to Buss, Jackson’s answer blew her away. He said, “No, it doesn’t bother me. If they take the book and put it on a shelf and it sits there for 10 years that is okay because there will come a day when he reads it and the message will be delivered. There is no time frame on teaching.”

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Phil distributed a book (during the first long road trip) to each player chosen specifically chosen for him. Some would enthusiastically jump right in but others would toss them aside and give an eye roll. Once Shaq even wrote a book report! Phil enjoyed cultivating an intellectual curiosity in his players – to have an open mind and seek new experiences, ask questions and never declare something as boring before even giving it a chance. When Phil played for the Knicks, his teammate, Bill Bradley, inspired his curiosity by taking him to cultural events or museums in every city they visited. I would watch Phil curate his book list until he knew what he wanted to give each player. It made me sad if I heard any player joking about it; I didn’t want Phil’s feelings to be hurt. I shared with him how I felt about it and asked him if it bothered him. His answer blew me away. He said, “No, it doesn’t bother me. If they take the book and put it on a shelf and it sits there for 10 years that is okay because there will come a day when he reads it and the message will be delivered. There is no time frame on teaching.” Phil doesn’t coach a player for a season, he coaches him for a lifetime. This is why he is great coach but also one of the best human beings I know. He mentors former players and makes time to listen and encourage. In fact, Kobe asked Phil to send him books over the last few years. Kobe enjoyed coaching Gigi and her teammates so much he invited Phil to the Mamba Academy and watch. I included a photo from one of their visits this January – Phil and Kobe the student / teacher bond lasts forever. Shannon Brown: "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama Kobe Bryant: "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell Andrew Bynum: "Six Easy Pieces" by Walter Mosley Jordan Farmar: "Makes Me Wanna Holler" by Nathan McCall Derek Fisher: "Soul on Ice," by Eldridge Cleaver Pau Gasol: “2666” by Roberto Bolano Luke Walton: "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey Metta World Peace: "Sacred Hoops" by Phil Jackson Sasha Vujacic: “Reservation Blues” by Alexie
A post shared by Jeanie Buss (@jeaniebuss) on Apr 24, 2020 at 5:31pm PDT

Jackson’s efforts bore fruit, as Kobe asked Phil to send him book recommendations over the last few years. Bryant also invited his former coach to the Mamba Academy to watch his daughter Gigi and her teammates play.

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Phil Jackson won a grand total of 11 championships as a coach for the franchises he was with. He may have achieved this feat mainly because of his ability to get the most out of each of his players. Along with pushing them physically, Phil wished to impart an intellectual curiosity in his players.

As history proved, Jackson’s methods helped him be a model coach and create a great player-coach dynamic.

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“Shaq Wrote a Book Report!”: Lakers’ Owner Reveals How Phil Jackson Coached Kobe Bryant and Team

How Phil Jackson became a memorable coach for the Los Angeles Lakers

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