I love when legends in the game answer these types of questions! Phil Jackson was asked if he was given the choice of any player in NBA history to start a franchise – who would it be?! Most assumed he would say Michael Jordan. Nope. Kobe? Nope. Check out the Zen Master’s answer after the jump…
Via BEN GOLLIVER at SI.com:
If given the choice of any player in NBA history to start a franchise, legendary coach Phil Jackson says Celtics center Bill Russell would win out over his former player Michael Jordan.
“In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell. He has won 11 championships as a player,” Jackson said in an interview with Time. “That’s really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships.”
In addition to his 11 titles with the Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s, Russell was a five-time MVP and 12-time All-Star. Jordan won six championships playing for the Bulls in the 1990s under Jackson, earning five MVP awards and 14 All-Star Game selections.
Jackson dodged when asked to select between Jordan and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, whom he coached to five titles between 2000 and 2010.
“I would flip a coin,” he said. “Whichever one came up heads or tails, I’d take that person. They were that good.”
(story continues…)
Spotted: Complex
