445 Quotes by Phil Jackson

Basketball is a great mystery. You can do everything right. You can have the perfect mix of talent and the best system of offense in the game. You can devise a foolproof defensive strategy and prepare your players for every possible eventuality. But if the players don’t have a sense of oneness as a group, your efforts won’t pay off. And the bond that unites a team can be so fragile, so elusive.

He's having the best season of anybody in the NBA. There are a couple guys who are having really good years, but there's not anybody who's having the kind of year he's having.

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

He's had to make some adjustments. I really feel like the adjustments have been made,

We looked like we were lethargic out there. We shot 50 percent in the first half, and had 16 turnovers to go with that, which is not acceptable. The second half was a disappointment not only with the choice of shots, but with the execution. Golden State had something to do with that.

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.

He was a great student and a really fine leader on the basketball court. He directed a lot of what happened, he was very much one of the reasons why we were successful over those six championships.

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

My dad always had this little sign on his desk: 'The bigger your head is, the easier your shoes are to fill'. He really drilled that in.