Phil Jackson facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Phil Jackson
Personal information
Jackson in 2009
Born	(1945-09-17) September 17, 1945 (age 79) Deer Lodge, Montana, U.S.
High school	Williston (Williston, North Dakota)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	North Dakota (1964–1967)
NBA Draft	1967 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Pro career	1967–1980
Coaching career	1978–2011
Career history
As player:
1967–1978	New York Knicks
1978–1980	New Jersey Nets
As coach:
1978–1981	New Jersey Nets (assistant)
1982–1987	Albany Patroons
1984	Piratas de Quebradillas
1984–1986	Gallitos de Isabela
1987	Piratas de Quebradillas
1987–1989	Chicago Bulls (assistant)
1989–1998	Chicago Bulls
1999–2004, 2005–2011	Los Angeles Lakers

Career highlights and awards
As player: 2× NBA champion (1970, 1973) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1968) 2× First-team Division II All-American (1966, 1967) 2× NCC Player of the Year (1966, 1967) 3× First-team All-NCC (1965–1967) As head coach: 11× NBA champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010) 4× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1992, 1996, 2000, 2009) NBA Coach of the Year (1996) Top 10 Coaches in NBA History Top 15 Coaches in NBA History CBA champion (1984) CBA Coach of the Year (1985)

Career NBA statistics
Points	5,428 (6.7 ppg)
Rebounds	3,454 (4.3 rpg)
Assists	898 (1.1 apg)

Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is a famous American former basketball player, coach, and team executive. He is known for winning many championships in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Phil Jackson has won 13 NBA championships in total. He won two as a player and an amazing 11 as a head coach.

His 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. In 2007, Jackson was added to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also named one of the top 10 coaches in league history back in 1996. He holds many other records, including the most wins in the playoffs (229) and most conference titles (13).

Jackson played college basketball for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. He was then chosen in the 1967 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He won two NBA titles with the Knicks as a player. After playing for 13 seasons, he started coaching in other basketball leagues.

He later became an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls in 1987. Jackson became the head coach of the Bulls in 1989. He helped the team win six championships. These wins happened in two "three-peat" streaks: 1991–1993 and 1996–1998.

In 1999, Jackson became the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He led them to three championships in a row from 2000 to 2002. After a short break, he returned to the Lakers in 2005. He won two more championships with them in 2009 and 2010. He retired from coaching in 2011. From 2014 to 2017, he was the team president for the New York Knicks.

Jackson is famous for using the "triangle offense" strategy. He also used a special coaching style influenced by Eastern philosophy. This earned him the nickname "Zen Master". He wrote books about his teams and his basketball strategies.

Growing Up and Early Life

Phil Jackson was born in Deer Lodge, Montana, on September 17, 1945. His parents were church ministers. Phil and his two brothers grew up in a quiet area of Montana. Their home life was very simple. They were not allowed to dance or watch television. Phil did not see his first movie until he was a senior in high school. He went to a dance for the first time when he was in college.

Jackson went to high school in Williston, North Dakota. He played basketball there and helped his team win a state title. He also played football, was a pitcher in baseball, and threw the discus in track and field. His high school now has a sports complex named after him.

College Basketball Career

Phil Jackson was recruited to play basketball at the University of North Dakota. He played very well there. He helped the Fighting Sioux reach third and fourth place in the NCAA Division II tournament in 1965 and 1966.

Professional Playing Career

Playing for the New York Knicks (1967–1978)

Jackson around 1968

In 1967, the New York Knicks drafted Jackson in the second round. He was a good athlete with long arms. He was not the best at scoring points, but he was smart and worked hard on defense. Jackson became a favorite with fans. He was a key substitute player for the Knicks. He helped the team win the NBA title in 1973. Jackson was injured during New York's 1969–70 championship season. He wrote a book called Take It All, which was a photo diary of the Knicks' 1970 championship run.

After the 1973 title, some main players retired. This gave Jackson a chance to become a starter.

Playing for the New Jersey Nets (1978–1980)

In 1978, Jackson moved to play for the New Jersey Nets. He played two seasons there. He retired as a player after the 1979–80 NBA season.

Coaching Career Highlights

Starting as a Coach (1982–1987)

After his playing career, Jackson coached in other professional leagues. These included the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and a league in Puerto Rico. In the CBA, he won his first coaching championship in 1984 with the Albany Patroons. He was named the CBA Coach of the Year in 1985. He tried to get NBA coaching jobs, but was turned down.

Leading the Chicago Bulls (1987–1998)

In 1987, the Chicago Bulls hired Jackson as an assistant coach. He became the head coach in 1989. Around this time, he learned about the "triangle offense" from Tex Winter. Jackson became a big supporter of this strategy.

Over nine seasons, Jackson and the Bulls reached the playoffs every year. They won six championships. They won three championships in a row twice. These "three-peats" happened from 1991–1993 and 1996–1998.

After losing in the 1990 playoffs, Jackson convinced Michael Jordan to use the triangle offense. This helped the Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons in 1991. They then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA Finals. The Bulls won two more championships against the Portland Trail Blazers in 1992 and the Phoenix Suns in 1993. This first "three-peat" was the first since the Boston Celtics won eight titles in a row from 1959 to 1966.

Michael Jordan retired for a while after the 1992–1993 season. The Bulls still played well, but lost in the playoffs in 1994 and 1995. For the 1995-96 season, the Bulls had Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. They set a record with 72 wins and only 10 losses in the regular season. They then won their fourth title against the Seattle SuperSonics. The Bulls won their fifth and sixth titles against the Utah Jazz in 1997 and 1998. After the Bulls' last title with Jordan in 1998, Jackson left the team.

Michael Jordan and Jackson in 1997

Coaching the Los Angeles Lakers (1999–2011)

After taking a year off, Jackson decided to coach again. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999. He quickly brought success to the team, just like he did with the Bulls. In his first year, the Lakers had a great record of 67 wins and 15 losses. They went on to win the 2000 NBA championship.

With superstar players Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Jackson led the Lakers to two more titles in 2001 and 2002. This was his third "three-peat" as a head coach. However, injuries and disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal caused problems for the team. They lost in the 2003 playoffs.

Phil Jackson coaching the Lakers

Jackson and Bryant often had disagreements. Bryant sometimes did not follow Jackson's "triangle offense." Despite these issues, the Lakers added star players Karl Malone and Gary Payton for the 2003–04 season. They reached the 2004 NBA Finals but were defeated by the Detroit Pistons. This was the first time Jackson lost in the NBA Finals as a head coach.

In June 2004, Jackson left the Lakers. Many thought it was because of the disagreements. Without Jackson and O'Neal, the Lakers struggled in the 2004–05 season.

In June 2005, the Lakers hired Jackson again. He led them back to the playoffs in 2006. He worked well with Kobe Bryant, who wanted Jackson back. On January 7, 2007, Jackson won his 900th game. He reached this milestone faster than any other coach.

Jackson (right) in 2008, standing next to Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen (left)

In the 2007–08 season, the Lakers got Pau Gasol. With another star player, Jackson coached the Lakers to the 2008 NBA Finals. They lost to the Boston Celtics. This was only the second time Jackson lost in the NBA Finals.

On December 25, 2008, Jackson won his 1,000th game. He was the fastest coach to reach 1,000 wins. Jackson led the Lakers to the NBA Finals again in 2009. They defeated the Orlando Magic to win Jackson's 10th NBA championship as a head coach. This broke the record for most championships won by a head coach.

On February 3, 2010, Jackson became the most successful coach in Lakers history with his 534th win. The Lakers reached the playoffs again in 2010. They defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals. This earned Jackson his 11th NBA championship as a head coach and his fifth with the Lakers.

Jackson returned to coach the Lakers for the 2010–11 season, saying it would be his last. He retired after the Lakers lost in the playoffs in 2011.

Executive Career

Working for the New York Knicks (2014–2017)

In 2014, Jackson became the president of the New York Knicks. He signed a five-year contract. On April 21, 2014, he fired the team's coach and staff. On June 9, 2014, the Knicks hired Derek Fisher as their new head coach. Fisher had played for Jackson with the Lakers and won championships with him.

Jackson made some trades and draft picks for the Knicks. The team had a tough season in 2014–15, setting a record for the most losses in franchise history. In 2015, the Knicks drafted Kristaps Porziņģis, who became a promising young player.

On June 28, 2017, the Knicks and Jackson decided to part ways. He was replaced by Steve Mills.

Awards and Recognition

Jackson won the 1996 NBA Coach of the Year Award. In the same year, he was named one of the ten greatest NBA coaches of all time. At that time, he had the highest winning percentage of any coach on that list. He still holds the highest winning percentage for coaches with 500 or more games coached.

In 2002 and 2010, the United States Sports Academy gave Jackson the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award. He also received the North Dakota's Roughrider Award.

Personal Life

Phil Jackson has five children and eight grandchildren. He was married twice. He married Maxine in 1967, and they divorced in 1972. He married June in 1974, and they divorced in 2000. He was engaged to Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, but they ended their engagement in 2016.

He has studied psychology. In 2011, Jackson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He decided to have surgery after the playoffs that year.

In 2020, he was featured in the documentary miniseries The Last Dance. This series was about the Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s. Jackson has mentioned that he no longer watches the NBA because he feels it has changed too much.

Career statistics

Playing

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1967–68	New York	75	5	14.6	.400	–	.589	4.5	.7	–	–	6.2
1968–69	New York	47	4	19.7	.429	–	.672	5.2	.9	–	–	7.1
1970–71	New York	71	7	10.8	.449	–	.714	3.4	.4	–	–	4.7
1971–72	New York	80	6	15.9	.440	–	.732	4.1	.9	–	–	7.2
1972–73†	New York	80	4	17.4	.443	–	.790	4.3	1.2	–	–	8.1
1973–74	New York	82*	21	25.0	.477	–	.776	5.8	1.6	.5	.8	11.1
1974–75	New York	78	61	29.3	.455	–	.763	7.7	1.7	1.1	.7	10.8
1975–76	New York	80	3	18.3	.478	–	.733	4.3	1.3	.5	.3	6.0
1976–77	New York	76	2	13.6	.440	–	.718	3.0	1.1	.4	.2	3.4
1977–78	New York	63	0	10.4	.478	–	.768	1.7	.7	.5	.4	2.4
1978–79	New Jersey	59		18.1	.475	–	.819	3.0	1.4	.8	.4	6.3
1979–80	New Jersey	16		12.1	.630	.000	.700	1.5	.8	.3	.3	4.1
Career		807	113	17.6	.453	.000	.736	4.3	1.1	.6	.4	6.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1968	New York	6	–	15.0	.286	–	.800	4.2	.3	–	–	4.0
1971	New York	5	–	6.0	.286	–	1.000	2.0	.4	–	–	1.8
1972	New York	16*	–	20.0	.475	–	.737	5.1	.9	–	–	9.8
1973†	New York	17*	–	19.9	.500	–	.737	4.2	1.4	–	–	8.7
1974	New York	12	–	24.8	.466	–	.900	4.8	1.3	.8	.4	11.3
1975	New York	3	–	26.0	.476	–	.875	8.3	.7	1.3	1.0	9.0
1978	New York	6	–	8.3	.500	–	.667	1.7	.5	.5	.0	2.0
1979	New Jersey	2	–	10.0	.333	–	1.000	1.5	.0	.5	.0	2.0
Career		67	–	18.3	.458	–	.782	4.2	.9	.8	.3	7.7

Head coaching record

Phil Jackson had a winning record every year as a head coach. He has the highest winning percentage of any Hall of Fame coach. He also has the highest winning percentage for any NBA coach who has coached 500 games or more. He holds the NBA record with 11 championships. He is the only coach to win at least 10 championships in any of North America's major professional sports.

At the end of the 2010 season, he had the fifth-most wins of any NBA coach. He was one of only six coaches to have over 1,000 wins. Of those six, he was the only one who had not coached over 1,900 games.

*	Record

Legend
Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Chicago	1989–90	82	55	27	.671	2nd in Central	16	10	6	.625	Lost in Conf. Finals
Chicago	1990–91	82	61	21	.744	1st in Central	17	15	2	.882	Won NBA Championship
Chicago	1991–92	82	67	15	.817	1st in Central	22	15	7	.682	Won NBA Championship
Chicago	1992–93	82	57	25	.695	1st in Central	19	15	4	.789	Won NBA Championship
Chicago	1993–94	82	55	27	.671	2nd in Central	10	6	4	.600	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Chicago	1994–95	82	47	35	.573	3rd in Central	10	5	5	.500	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Chicago	1995–96	82	72	10	.878	1st in Central	18	15	3	.833	Won NBA Championship
Chicago	1996–97	82	69	13	.841	1st in Central	19	15	4	.789	Won NBA Championship
Chicago	1997–98	82	62	20	.756	1st in Central	21	15	6	.714	Won NBA Championship
L.A. Lakers	1999–00	82	67	15	.817	1st in Pacific	23	15	8	.652	Won NBA Championship
L.A. Lakers	2000–01	82	56	26	.683	1st in Pacific	16	15	1	.938	Won NBA Championship
L.A. Lakers	2001–02	82	58	24	.707	2nd in Pacific	19	15	4	.789	Won NBA Championship
L.A. Lakers	2002–03	82	50	32	.610	2nd in Pacific	12	6	6	.500	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
L.A. Lakers	2003–04	82	56	26	.683	1st in Pacific	22	13	9	.591	Lost in NBA Finals
L.A. Lakers	2005–06	82	45	37	.549	3rd in Pacific	7	3	4	.429	Lost in first round
L.A. Lakers	2006–07	82	42	40	.512	2nd in Pacific	5	1	4	.200	Lost in first round
L.A. Lakers	2007–08	82	57	25	.695	1st in Pacific	21	14	7	.667	Lost in NBA Finals
L.A. Lakers	2008–09	82	65	17	.793	1st in Pacific	23	16	7	.696	Won NBA Championship
L.A. Lakers	2009–10	82	57	25	.695	1st in Pacific	23	16	7	.696	Won NBA Championship
L.A. Lakers	2010–11	82	57	25	.695	1st in Pacific	10	4	6	.400	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Career		1,640	1,155	485	.704*		333*	229*	104	.688