Phil Jackson always prided himself on his Zen-like approach to coaching. But the Zen Master pulled no punches in his new book, writing that Michael Jordan was clearly better than Kobe Bryant.
In his new book, co-written with Hugh Delehanty and entitled “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,” Jackson writes about what separated Jordan from Bryant, the two biggest stars he coached during his Hall of Fame career.
The Los Angeles Times, which received an advance copy of the 339-page book, provided a few of Jackson’s nuggets on the two headliners.
Jackson writes the biggest advantage Jordan had over Bryant was the leadership he displayed early in his career.
“One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader,” Jackson writes. “Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones.”
Jackson, who coached Jordan to six titles with the Bulls and Bryant to five with the Lakers, also said Jordan was the better defender.
“No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender,” Jackson writes. “He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense.”
Jackson also said Bryant learned some of Jordan’s defensive tricks, but wasn’t as fundamentally sound.
“In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price,” Jackson writes.
On the offensive end, Jackson said Jordan was more balanced and patient than Bryan.
“Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn’t going his way,” Jackson writes. “When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game.”
Bryant responded on Twitter yesterday, saying Jackson was off the mark.
“The comparisons are #apples2oranges,” the tweet said. “Wonder what the perception would be if M played wit @shaq instead #differentroles #differentcareerpaths.”