Kobe and Phil: Working it through

Kobe Bryant  (Photo by Steve Lipofsky)

In the spirit of Lennon and McCartney’s “We Can Work It Out” (McCartney’s flexibility plus Lennon’s toughness), Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant slowly learned to get along.

Jackson recalls that in the beginning of their relationship, he could often feel Bryant’s hatred for him.  USA Today Sports reports that Kobe was especially angry when Phil called him “uncoachable.”

In a classic power struggle, young Bryant resented Jackson’s authority.  Jackson explained to ESPN:  He [Kobe] wanted more freedom and I wanted him to be more disciplined.

Eventually, the two worked through many of their differences.  Jackson gave Bryant “more of a license to do his thing,” as long as it stayed within agreed-upon limits.

The result?  The team then won “two more championships.”  Just goes to show how powerful mutual understanding can be.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/phil-jackson-on-kobe-bryant-quite-often-i-could-feel-his-hatred/ar-AAdzxIj

Copyright July 29, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved