When the Lakers honor Phil Jackson with a statue on April 7 outside of Crypto.com Arena, they’ll not only be immortalizing the greatest coach in franchise history but also the greatest in NBA history.
Not Red Auerbach.
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Not Gregg Popovich.
Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA titles as a coach combined with the Lakers and Bulls, is set to get a statue at Crypto.com Arena in April. NBAE via Getty Images
Jackson’s coaching résumé speaks for itself: 11 NBA championships, which are the most by any head coach in league history, in 13 NBA Finals appearances across 20 years.
The most playoff wins (229) by a coach in league history.
A 70.4 regular-season and 68.8 playoffs winning percentage, both the highest marks in league history among individuals who’ve coached at least 10 seasons.
But Jackson’s impact and case as the NBA’s greatest coach of all time goes beyond statistics and rings.
He popularized the triangle offense, which was developed by Tex Winter, a longtime assistant coach under Jackson with the Bulls and Lakers. The offensive system was the backbone for team success for two decades, and its principles have influenced successful NBA offenses for even longer — particularly the Warriors’ most recent dynasty.
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His ability to manage personalities on superstar-driven teams led to his teams maximizing their potential: Jackson-coached teams won 25 consecutive playoff series from 1996-2003.
His holistic approach to coaching also earned him the moniker of “Zen Master.”
When it comes to NBA coaches, Jackson’s combination of success and influence stands above the rest.
Former Celtics coach Red Auerbach has a statue at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Auerbach, who led the Celtics to eight consecutive NBA titles from 1959-66 and nine championships in 10 years including the 1957 NBA title, was the architect behind one of the greatest dynasties in league history. Especially when factoring in his influence on Boston’s roster construction, which continued in his roles as Celtics general manager and eventually president after his retirement as coach in 1966. He was rightfully voted as the greatest coach in NBA history by the Professional Basketball Writers Association in 1980.
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Popovich’s longevity with the Spurs is unmatched: an NBA record 1,390 regular-season wins to go with five NBA championships and six NBA Finals. Three NBA Coach of the Year awards, which is tied for the most in league history (the award was created in 1962). Twenty-two consecutive playoff appearances (1998-2019, which is tied for an NBA record. Popovich reinvented himself and his teams throughout his 29 seasons as the Spurs’ coach, consistently achieving success at the highest level with each version of the Spurs that developed.
Gregg Popovich led the Spurs to five NBA championships. Getty Images
But Jackson has a feather in his cap that Auerbach and Popovich lack: He successfully led two different franchises to dynastic runs with the 1990s Bulls and the 2000s Lakers.
An argument against Jackson, and in favor of another coach being the greatest of all time, was that Jackson coached some of the greatest players of all time in Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. And that’s before even mentioning other key players to the dynasties Jackson led such as Pau Gasol, Ron Harper, Lamar Odom, Toni Kukoc and Horace Grant.
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But Auerbach had Hall of Fame players such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek and Sam Jones, to name a few.
Popovich had Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili and Kawhi Leonard.
Coaching great talents is a prerequisite for becoming an all-time coach.
Among all the all-time coaches, Jackson stands above them all.
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