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Eleven Rings

The Soul of Success

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
"Through candor and comprehensiveness, Jackson writes a convincing revisionist take, in which he emerges as an excellent coach . . . highly readable . . . reflects Jackson’s polymathy." The New York Times Book Review
"Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract . . . But the primary thing with Jackson—as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves—is the voice." —Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine
New York Times Bestseller
The inside story of one of basketball's most legendary and game-changing figures 


During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the “Zen master” half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.
This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head.
In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he:
   •  Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s
   •  Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title
   •  Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync
   •  Inspired Dennis Rodman and other “uncoachable” personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves
   •  Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team.
Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship—six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don’t know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 8, 2013
      Jackson won 11 championships as an NBA head coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, a feat all the more impressive, and complicated, given that he had to manage superstar personalities like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in L.A. and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago, none of whom was eternally ready to embrace the group effort required in basketball. As a coach, Jackson’s method was to encourage individuality within the team, a paradigm that required flexibility on his end, whether it was embracing the human id known as Dennis Rodman or sharpening his teams’ focus by practicing mindfulness meditation. Jackson’s seventh book, which traces his path from North Dakota ministers’ son to his current legendary status, memorably describes how he tamed the delicate nature of a basketball team. While the book has a nice amount of material detailing the exhausting mental effort required to lead a team—things were so corrosive with Bryant early on, that the coach dreamt of spanking him—Jackson doesn’t offer nearly enough of himself, so the book feels more like a marketing tool meant to polish his public profile as a sagacious Zen master of tall men. Readers looking for a motivational push will be most pleased; basketball fans hankering for insider stories on some historic teams will be disappointed. Photos not seen by PW.

    • Booklist

      May 1, 2013
      Phil Jackson won an unprecedented 11 championship rings as an NBA coach (6 with the Chicago Bulls and 5 with the Los Angeles Lakers). He begins this memoir with a brief exploration of his childhood as the son of two practicing ministers, an experience that laid the foundation for his approach to coaching. As a young man, Jackson realized he couldn't accept his parents' faith, but he explored any number of religions and consciousness-raising movements to satisfy his spiritual yearnings. To a casual fan, meditation, Buddhism, and Native American spirituality may seem an odd mix of resources with which to motivate highly paid, often egocentric professional athletes. Jackson, however, made it work, combining sincerity with a message of teamwork and trust; of course, a healthy dose of basketball acumen didn't hurt, either. Jackson's story, augmented by behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving Michael, Shaq, Kobe, and others, makes for great reading. Hoop fans: read this alongside Bob Knight's recent The Power of Negative Thinking (2013) and then determine which coaching style would motivate you more and improve your life outside of basketball.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

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