Phil Jackson’s name resonates with winning in the NBA. The legendary coach arrived on the scene with the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach for the franchise. Later on, he took on the responsibilities as a head coach and won six NBA Championships with the team.
Apart from that, Jackson, later on, joined the Los Angeles Lakers and enjoyed a successful spell there as well. He helped the purple and gold win three consecutive titles during his spell as head coach for the team.
All things considered, Jackson has a lot of accolades under his belt. So when he speaks people tend to pay attention to him when he gives his opinion on something. One such incident happened back in 2015 when Jackson called out none other than the face of the league, LeBron James.
James might be one of the best players to ever play in the NBA, but he has received some backlash from fans and sports pundits alike for one flaw in his game. It’s not a flaw, per se, but something that LeBron tends to get away with in his career.
Yes, we are talking about James not being called out sometimes for traveling while carrying the basketball. Jackson gave his opinion on it during a 2015 interview. Spoiler alert: Jackson didn’t hold back at all.
“I watch LeBron James, for example. He might travel every other time he catches the basketball if he’s off the ball. He catches the ball, moves both his feet. You see it happen all the time. There’s no structure, no discipline, no ‘How do we play this game’ type of attitude. And it goes all the way through the game. To the point where guys now don’t screen – they push guys off with their hands.”
Phil Jackson on LeBron James pic.twitter.com/m8sM447aJh
— The Ballfather (@StevenKelsey13) January 23, 2022
Jackson doesn’t seem to be a fan of LeBron. Even in 2013, when Phil was asked for his thoughts about who is the GOAT of basketball, he chose Michael Jordan solely because MJ has more championships than LeBron.
While what Phil said about James’ style of play is true to some extent, he is not the only one doing so. In fact, in the modern-day NBA, with the ever-changing rules, players tend to get away with such acts.
