In the 1990s, the general leading the Chicago Bulls battalion, the team that dominated the NBA and changed the game forever, was none other than Phil Jackson. He managed some of the biggest stars in basketball history, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and, of course, Michael Jordan. How did he balance such egos and keep the team running like a well-oiled machine? He had his own ways.<\/p>\n
Toni Kukoc was part of the Bulls roster from 1993 to 2000, which meant he celebrated three championships as a member of their second three-peat team. In a recent conversation with EuroLeague, he reflected on what it was like to be a Bull during that era and how Jackson<\/a>, who oversaw all six of Chicago\u2019s championships that decade, motivated players in unorthodox ways.<\/p>\n Most coaches, during a poor showing, would let their temper get the better of them. They\u2019d call out mistakes, raise their voices, or look frantic as they tried to pull their team out of trouble. But even when Jackson\u2019s Bulls<\/a> trailed by double digits, he stayed calm and as positive as ever.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we would be losing by 20 at the half, and then everybody\u2019s like this\u2026\u201d Kukoc revealed, looking down, to show that the players would be sitting in the locker room, dejected. \u201cHe comes in, now you\u2019re gonna expect he\u2019s gonna start yelling at the individual players about bad plays, not doing this\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe would go like this \u2014 \u2018We got them exactly where we want them. Let\u2019s start playing basketball and we all good.’\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n This brought the spirits up, and the Bulls were able to approach the second half, feeling mentally rejuvenated, realizing that they could turn this game around if they simply turned up and played to their abilities. Even during dry stretches early on, when shots weren\u2019t falling and good looks were hard to find, Jackson encouraged his players to keep shooting, even if it meant taking some bad shots.<\/p>\n Kukoc continued<\/a>, \u201cHe calls a timeout and goes like, \u2018You shot the ball, you shot the ball, you shot the ball\u2026 did you shoot the ball? Okay, we\u2019re playing for him. Preferably, he misses it, so we all miss that shot. And from that point on, let\u2019s start playing basketball.’\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The players never expected Jackson to behave this way, which was what made him so popular among them. \u201cIt was actually positive that he tried to clear your mind, like you don\u2019t have to think about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For Jackson, all that mattered was resetting and getting back to what the players knew how to do best: winning.<\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s admiration for Jackson\u2019s one word pep talks<\/p>\n Jordan always made it clear that he would\u00a0only\u00a0be an NBA player as long as it meant he would be working under Jackson. Netflix\u2019s The Last Dance\u00a0docuseries captured his love for the 13-time NBA champion perfectly.<\/p>\n The Bulls icon often spoke about how he was baffled at how easily Jackson would pull those around him up. \u201cThe main reason we do so well is Phil. I like him because of the atmosphere he creates,\u201d said<\/a> Jordan, in an older ESPN interview. \u201cSometimes he can say one word, one sentence, and shake you up, make you think\u2026 It\u2019s not a curse, but you get the point.\u201d<\/p>\n