Phil Jackson: "MJ was more coachable than Kobe"
Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson has offered insight into what separated Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as NBA players.
Whenever the topic has come up over the years, the former head coaching great has always complimented Jordan while slighting Bryant. Before it was due to Jordan's hand size, now Jackson is saying Jordan was more coachable than Kobe was.
There was something coachable about Michael that Kobe didn’t have. But Kobe had an irrepressible fire. He’d know what he'd done," Jackson said. "He had a conscience."
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The Zen Master also offered his two cents on Bryant’s legendary feud with Shaquille O’Neal.
The Lakers’ player had incredible competitiveness, Jackson said. “The reason Kobe was unhappy with Shaq (O’Neal) was (because of) his drive,” the coach commented when asked about the Kobe and Shaq feud. “Kobe believed Shaq didn’t care enough about the game.”
Regardless of which NBA legend Jackson was coaching, the relationship was beneficial for everyone involved. The Bulls won six titles in eight seasons from 1990-98 with Jackson and Jordan.
The Lakers won five championships in Jackson's two stints as head coach from 1999-2004 and 2005-2011.
