Phil Jackson on how he dealt with Michael Jordan's God-like status when he became the Bulls head coach: "The scoring leaders have not won championships, Michael" originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Phil Jackson , one of the greatest coaches of all time, is the architect behind two of the greatest dynasties: the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers . The Hall of Famer was instrumental in the success of all-time greats such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant .
One of the primary reasons behind the success of "Mr. Eleven Rings" was his ability to communicate with complete transparency. Not one to provide special treatment or be enamored by the persona of star players, Phil always adopted the team-first mentality.
A case in point was the "Zen Master" advising Michael Jordan not to overprioritize scoring and to encourage greater involvement from his teammates. According to Phil, winning a championship required much more than merely filling up the stat sheets regularly.
In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Phil was asked about managing his way around MJ's God-like status, especially in Chicago, to which he had the following response.
"I had a fortunate relationship with Michael Jordan. I didn't buy into that part of his being; I stayed away from it. Never asked Michael for autographs, never had a relationship to deal with that and actually had to ask him to cut back from what he was doing," said the former Bulls coach.
He added, "I don't want you to be the scoring leader. The scoring leaders have not won championships, Michael, 'But I want to be the scoring leader, and I think I can still do it. I'll cut back on my scoring average.' He volunteered to do that. So that was a relationship we started out with that built...Everybody else had to be part of it...He accepted the role, which is wonderful," recalled the 1996 Coach of the Year, who had two 3-peats during his stint in Chicago.
A key figure in Jordan's development, especially during his formidable years, Doug Collins took over the coaching reins of the Bulls in 1986. The former Sixers guard turned coach helped MJ achieve new heights, especially on the offensive end, which included his first league MVP in 1988.
One of Doug's significant achievements as Bulls coach was securing the franchise's first-ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 15 years. However, Doug's over-reliance on Jordan as the centerpiece, overlooking a team-oriented approach, was a sign of worry. If MJ didn't have a legendary performance, Chicago mostly lost their key playoff games.
Adding to it was Doug's reluctance to reinvent or change course when it came to his ways of working. As tensions between him and the GM Jerry Krause began to intensify and the veteran was relieved from his coaching duties in 1989, with Phil succeeding him.
The "Zen Master's" team-oriented approach over an "Air Jordan" show turned out to be a game-changer. Getting over the Pistons hump in the 1991 ECF, the Bulls won their first championship in what marked the beginning of one of the greatest sports dynasties.
Despite MJ's one and a half year hiatus, Phil managed to keep the Bulls in title contention. Upon Jordan's return, the team registered 72 wins the following season (1995-96) in what paved the way for another 3-peat, cementing the "Zen Master's" legacy as an all-time great.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
