Quote

Basketball, unlike football with its prescribed routes, is an improvisational game, similar to jazz. If someone drops a note, someone else must step into the vacuum and drive the beat that sustains the team.

Phil Jackson

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Phil Jackson
Age: 79
Born: 1945
Born: September 17
Basketball Coach
Basketball Player
Coach
Deer Lodge
Montana
Philip Douglas Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson
Action Jackson
The Zen Master
PJ
Someone
Basketball
Unlike
Must
Step
Note
Football
Similar
Prescribed
Steps
Beat
Sustains
Game
Drive
Vacuums
Team
Notes
Vacuum
Games
Beats
Drops
Else
Jazz
Routes

More quotes by Phil Jackson

Image
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 System basketball has been replaced by players who want to be the system.
Phil Jackson
Image
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.
Phil Jackson
Image
People think I would never take on a team that has no legitimate chance to win a championship, This is one of the major misconceptions about me. Success can be measured in many different ways. . . . Either way, I would find the challenge invigorating.
Phil Jackson
Image
Not everyone has a purpose.
Phil Jackson
Image
He practiced against Kobe all of last year, so obviously it was sweet revenge for him. We deserved that. We didn't know who he was, we gave him up to Charlotte, we had no idea how good a player he was.
Phil Jackson
Image
Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together.
Phil Jackson
Image
I'm not going to coach again. I've done my coaching, and I think I can put that aside.
Phil Jackson
Image
Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game - and life - will take care of itself.
Phil Jackson
Image
I played hockey in North Dakota growing up and watch a lot of that.
Phil Jackson
Image
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.
Phil Jackson
Image
The strength of the team lies within the individual. And the strength of the individual lies within the team
Phil Jackson
Image
I will have Derek Fisher wear all 5 of his rings the first time he comes in to talk to Carmelo.
Phil Jackson
Image
If you give the future all your attention, the present will pass you by.
Phil Jackson
Image
I thrive on challenges, and there is no more imposing challenge for someone in my profession than winning an NBA title.
Phil Jackson
Image
I don't believe in curfews, because you can't treat men like they were boys without forfeiting a certain level of trust.
Phil Jackson
Image
I'm a patient person. I think that's one thing that I feel comfortable I can deal with - the downfall and the errors, as long as I see progress and people trying.
Phil Jackson
Image
The sign of a great player is how much he elevates his colleagues' performance.
Phil Jackson
Image
If we can accept whatever hand we've been dealt - no matter how unwelcome - the way to proceed eventually becomes clear.
Phil Jackson
Image
My accountant tells me I can't be a California resident anymore. I spend too much of my time in New York.
Phil Jackson
Image
Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts.
Phil Jackson