Some of the greatest coaches in the NBA first plied their craft as players, some even in the league. One legendary coach whose playing career is often forgotten is former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson.
A fan on Reddit unearthed a gem from Jackson’s playing career, where he was seen trying to guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar near the post. Jabbar was playing for the Lakers, while Jackson was a member of the New York Knicks. Fans had some significant reactions to the picture.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar being guarded by Phil Jackson, I think the image goes quite hard
by u/TigerKlaw in lakers
One fan said, “Safe to say, the zen master got cooked.”
Another fan provided a statistical breakdown of their contests, “Found 4 games where both Kareem and Phil played against each other in those jerseys (purple Lakers jersey, should have been an away game) in NYC. Judging by minutes played by Phil, the two games from the 1976-77 season can reasonably be excluded, leaving the two games from 1975-76: October 23, 1975, 25 MP for Phil. Kareem got 27-20-5 with 4 blocks. Pretty cooked. March 9, 1976, 29 MP for Phil. Kareem got 26-16-6 with 5 blocks. A tiny bit less cooked. But still cooked.
A fan remarked on the evolution of shoes since the mid-’70s, “Damn those shoes. Feels bad for their feet.”
Some fans appreciated the greatness of the picture, “GOAT vs GOAT. Best player ever vs. best coach ever.”
Fans couldn’t believe the shape Kareem was in, “Younger KAJ was a unit.”
Jackson was an 11-season veteran for the Knicks and won two titles with the franchise, the last titles that the Knicks have won in the NBA. Winning seems just to follow him, as he would add a lot more silverware to his name as a coach.
Kareem established himself as the greatest player of that time when he faced Jackson in that image. Still, nobody would’ve thought in 1975 that Jackson would go from being a role player on the Knicks to arguably the greatest coach in league history.
Phil Jackson Doesn’t Watch The NBA Any More
Jackson recently made headlines for expressing his dislike for how the game of basketball has evolved, taking specific umbrage with the political nature of the 2020 Orlando bubble.
“I am not enjoying the game, that’s too bad. There’s a whole generation that doesn’t like the game. No, I don’t (watch basketball). I watched the game evolve and then they went into the lockout year and did something that was kind wanky, they did a bubble down in Orlando… I couldn’t watch that. The Lakers won that year… They even had slogans on the floor and the baseline. It was trying to cater to an audience or bring a certain audience to the game and they didn’t know it was turning other people off… Politics stays out of the game, it doesn’t need to be there.”
Regardless of his thoughts on modern basketball, he will always be remembered for his contributions to the game, coaching legends like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant to a combined 11 championships. Given he won two as a player, that’s one hell of a winning record.
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