How many NBA championship rings does Phil Jackson have? We take a look at his decorated career and records
Phil Jackson is arguably the best coach in NBA history. Other coaches used to shake in their boots when they went up against Jackson and his team. In an episode of Netflix's "The Playbook," head coach Doc Rivers recalled his 2008 Finals against the LA Lakers,
"The coaching match-up was, come on, it was Phil Jackson 100 and Doc Rivers zero. Listen, I can’t beat Phil Jackson in coaching. I just wanted to beat his team"
After one of the most illustrous NBA careers ever, Phil Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 as a coach.
Phil Jackson's long list of NBA championship rings and accolades
![Phil Jackson with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls [Source: UPROXX]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/8572b-16291305286573-800.jpg)
Phil Jackson has had a long NBA career. He won his first two championship rings as a player for the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. At 6'8", 220 pounds, Jackson played the power forward position and was a part of the Knicks squad that last won an NBA championship almost 50 years ago.
However, his head coaching career is where all the fame and glamor began. After spending a few years coaching in Puerto Rico and a small gig as an assistant coach, he finally landed a head coaching job with the Chicago Bulls in 1989. He had served as an assistant coach in the Bulls for two years and saw Michael Jordan's early years.
He then unlocked something incredible in Jordan who is now regarded as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. He led the Chicago Bulls to a three-peat from 1991 to 1993 and then after a two-years hiatus by Jordan, he led them to another three-peat from 1996 to 1998.
After Jordan retired in 1998, the Bulls were disbanded and everyone went to new teams. Phil Jackson went to the West coast and saw a promising fresh start in the LA Lakers with a young Kobe Bryant and a prime Shaquille O'Neal. He led the duo to a three-peat from 2000 to 2002. He is the only NBA coach with 3 three-peats under his belt when most coaches would be lucky to say they have one.
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After O'Neal left the LA Lakers, the team struggled for a few years. Jackson left the team in 2004 and then re-joined Kobe in 2005. From 2008 to 2010, he coached Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. He earned his 10th and 11th ring as a coach in the process, passing Celtics' legendary coach Red Auerbach for most all time.
His total list of rings stands at 13 with 11 as a coach and 2 as a player. He was a four-time NBA All-Star game head coach and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1996 when he led the Bulls to a 72-10 record. He also has the second-highest win percentage as a coach as of 2021 with 1155-485 (.704), behind active coach Steve Kerr and is 7th all-time in wins.
Coaches like Phil Jackson are hard to find. He was a basketball savant who designed the Bulls' famous triangle offense and made two players into legends and what they are today, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
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