Phil Jackson

Philip Douglas Jackson (a.k.a. The Zen Master ), is an American NBA basketball coach and former NBA player, born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana.

New York Knicks

In 1967, he was drafted by the Knicks, and found that the skills that served him well at the small-college level were all but useless in the NBA. While he was a good all-around athlete, with unusually long arms, he was limited as a shooter, and did not have great speed. He compensated for his physical limitations by sheer intelligence and extremely hard work, especially on defense, and eventually established himself as a fan favorite and one of the NBA's leading substitutes. He was a key member of Knicks teams that won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Soon after the second title, several key starters of the championship teams retired, eventually forcing Jackson into the starting lineup, where his limitations were exposed. He retired from play in 1980.

Related Topics:
1967 - 1970 - 1973 - 1980

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