In basketball - as in life - true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way. Phil Jackson More Quotes by Phil Jackson More Quotes From Phil Jackson I know what it takes to be a coach. I've gone through that. I think I came up short my last season. Lots of things were happening physically to me, and emotionally, perhaps mentally, too. I thought it was time to tend to more important things, like health and like family. I still enjoy that, and I don't think I have any need to go back to coach. Phil Jackson enjoyimportantthinking My philosophy is that you can't motivate players with speeches, you have motivated players that you draft. That's where they come in and those are the guys that are competitive. You cannot teach competitiveness. Phil Jackson basketballplayerphilosophy The real value in everything you do is in the details. Phil Jackson valuesreal I'm not trying to find answers anymore. I'm trying to live what I know. Phil Jackson answerstryinglife I don't believe in curfews, because you can't treat men like they were boys without forfeiting a certain level of trust. Phil Jackson menboysbelieve Coaching is salesmanship. Coaching is winning players over and convincing them they have to play together. It takes a team conviction to play together to make things work. Phil Jackson teamplayerwinning The problem with trading dominant players of that size is you never get in return what you've bargained away. Phil Jackson sizereturnplayer I probably would have no capability of absorbing a 60-defeat season as a coach. It would be a foreign experience. My whole career, even as a player, has been on winning basketball clubs and it just seems to have been a part of the make-up of what’s been given me. That’s what I’ve been given and that’s what I’ve had to deal with. Some people can make fun of it or some people can have a good time with it, or some people can resent it. It’s just what it is. Phil Jackson basketballwinningfun Pau is one of the best big men in the game. I mean, Pau Gasol is going to be in the Hall of Fame. Phil Jackson gamesmenmean I always tell the players, "We are in the business that's very much like a marathon race only we're gonna be doing it for 260-something days or so." And the race is something you get ready to do. There's gonna be some trial inside of there, but you put yourself through it because ultimately it brings a lot of meaning to your life, it gives a lot of energy to what you're doing. Phil Jackson raceplayergiving I'm a sports-watcher. I played football and baseball, coached baseball. So I watch those things. Phil Jackson baseballfootballsports Basketball is a simple game. Your goal is penetration, get the ball close to the basket, and there are three ways to do that. Pass, dribble and offensive rebound. Phil Jackson nbabasketballsimple Everybody has an opportunity to play a role, a playmaking role, so it makes it harder to coach. It takes a little more time. Phil Jackson rolesplayopportunity Basketball, unlike football with its prescribed routes, is an improvisational game, similar to jazz. If someone drops a note, someone else must step into the vacuum and drive the beat that sustains the team. Phil Jackson teambasketballfootball The bigger your head, the easier to fill your shoes. Phil Jackson easiershoesbigger My job as a coach was to make something meaningful out of one of the most mundane activities on the planet: playing pro basketball. Phil Jackson mundanebasketballmeaningful The best thing that I think happened to me was I got the opportunity to have really good players and we were able to meet the demand of the competition. And I think that's what I value most. Phil Jackson playeropportunitythinking I care about systematically playing basketball. If the spacing isn't right, if guys are standing on top of each other, if there aren't lanes to be provided, or rebounders available to offensively rebound the ball, or we don't have defensive balance when a shot goes up, all of these things are fundamental basketball. I follow it. Phil Jackson balanceguybasketball My accountant tells me I can't be a California resident anymore. I spend too much of my time in New York. Phil Jackson californiatoo-muchnew-york Not everyone has a purpose. Phil Jackson purpose
