Phil Jackson Quotes

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.

For us tall people, the whole key is that your hips and your knees should form a right angle when you sit down. That's where backs and hips get to be problems for big guys.

You have to be unique.

I won't coach this team next year if he is still here. He won't listen to anyone. I've had it with this kid.

Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.

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.

A coach's main job is to reawaken a spirit in which the players can blend together effortlessly.

Your problems never cease, they just change.

I think the most important thing about coaching is that you have to have a sense of confidence about what you're doing.

I expect a cigar.....not lit, hopefully

The bigger your head, the easier to fill your shoes.

Coaching is about, "How do I get people to play at their peak level?" It is a spiritual quest. And if it's not that, you don't have a challenge, you don't have a mission. Forming a brotherhood and trying to move it forward - that's what coaching is.

If you give the future all your attention, the present will pass you by.

I think the most rewarding part of the job, and I think most coaches would say it, is practice. If you have it, a very good practice in which you have 12 guys participate, and they can really get something out of it, lose themselves in practice.

The sign of a great player is how much he elevates his colleagues' performance.

Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts.

No one plays this or any game perfectly. It's the guy who recovers from his mistakes who wins.

Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing.

The real value in everything you do is in the details. I just like that quote. A very similar way to say the same thing. If you're washing dishes you pay attention to washing dishes. If you're driving a car, you're paying attention to driving the car.

An acrobatic dunk will make it onto Sports Center. A simple, unspectacular bounce pass in the rhythm of the offense will not. System basketball has been replaced by players who want to be the system.

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.

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.

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball.

When the mind is allowed to relax, inspiration often follows.

The ideal way to win a championship is step by step.

Leadership is not about forcing your will on others. It's about mastering the art of letting go.

Remember, Team, surrender the me for the we.

And yet as a coach, I know that being fixated on winning (or more likely, not losing) is counterproductive, especially when it causes you to lose control of your emotions. What’s more, obsessing about winning is a loser’s game: The most we can hope for is to create the best possible conditions for success, then let go of the outcome. The ride is a lot more fun that way.

You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act.

Before a vision (dream) can become a reality, it must be owned by every member of the group.

What moves me is watching young men bond together and tap into the magic that arises when they focus with their whole heart and soul on something greater than themselves. Once you've experienced that, it's something you never forget.

The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive

My job as a coach was to make something meaningful out of one of the most mundane activities on the planet: playing pro basketball.

I'm not railing, 'This is inadequate' or 'This isn't right.' Just show me what will work.

Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We.

Basketball is a sport that involves the subtle interweaving of players at full speed to the point where they are thinking and moving as one.

Once you've done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into the action and put your heart on the line. That means not only being brave, but being compassionate towards yourself, your teammates and your opponents.

Pau is one of the best big men in the game. I mean, Pau Gasol is going to be in the Hall of Fame.

Yes, victory is sweet, but it doesn't necessarily make life any easier the next season or even the next day.

Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.

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.

You can't force your will on people. If you want them to act differently, you need to inspire them to change themselves

Not everyone has a purpose.

I will have Derek Fisher wear all 5 of his rings the first time he comes in to talk to Carmelo.

I'm a sports-watcher. I played football and baseball, coached baseball. So I watch those things.

The road to freedom is a beautiful system

I gave it my body and mind, but I have kept my soul.

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. Of course, it's no accident that things are more likely to go your way when you stop worrying about whether you're going to win or lose and focus your full attention on what's happening right this moment.