In the mid-2000s, the Lakers empire was already in the process of a major collapse. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were at odds and head coach Phil Jackson was at the end of his career.
By the 2004-05 season, Jackson was fired, Shaq was in Miami, and Kobe Bryant was left by himself to lead a completely new team.
It ended how you would expect, and they re-hired Jackson before the start of the following season. At the time, it was a move that was highly questioned by experts — and, even today, it receives criticism.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Reveals His Thoughts On Phil Jackson’s Return
According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is following the story that was recently re-told in a docuseries titled ‘Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers,’ Jackson’s return was a slight on Kobe because of the comments Jackson made about him before he was re-hired by the team.
(via Substack):
After Rudy Tomjanovich quit as head coach 43 games into the season (though some say the Lakers quietly fired him), Phil Jackson was brought back. In some ways, this was a rebuke of Kobe because Phil had flatly said Kobe was uncoachable, which is about the worst thing you can say about a player. It’s true that Kobe was difficult to coach because he thought he should have the ball all the time. He had the confidence and the skill to back it up. But that confidence and skill had to be directed in a way that could ignite and inspire the whole team.
For those that might not be aware, Jackson’s comments come from his book, ‘The Last Season,’ where he called Bryant ‘uncoachable’ among other things.
Usually, relationships like that are unsalvageable. But somehow, the pair found a way to make it work and went on to win two more titles together before it all ended.
As for Phil’s uncoachable comments, Bryant eventually got over it. In fact, he even admitted years later that Phil was right.
(via ESPN):
“Yeah,” Kobe says. “Because that’s his job as a coach. To try and manage a team.”
He’s left an opening. “So what you’re saying is that nobody can control you. Well, no,” he says. “Thinking about it now. Yes, I am un-coachable, because you don’t have to manage me.”
Needless to say, Bryant was a stubborn dude who didn’t always play by the rules. It makes sense why somebody like Phil Jackson might call him out of control.
Still, Kobe’s way was effective, and it left an impression on many players who got to see it for themselves. Kareem seems to understand that more than anyone.
