Phil Jackson: Lord of the Rings
Phil Jackson is the most successful coach in professional sports history. He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and another five with the Los Angeles Lakers. And he was a player on two New York Knick championship teams in the early seventies. Veteran sports journalist Richmond calls this a biography, but it’s really more of a quest—Richmond in search of the real Phil Jackson, a fascinating man who has remained a bit of a mystery despite a penchant for writing books about himself and his career (four to date). Richmond spent a lot of time with those four books, but he also interviewed former players, friends, and associates in an attempt to get a sense of the man as well as the coach. Phil the Coach has been remarkably consistent in his methods and interaction with his players, who all revere him. The enigmatic Phil has been the public Phil—hippie, coach, husband, teacher, seeker, friend, and father. Sometimes the contexts overlap. But inarguably, he’s a fascinating subject, and while Richmond may not plumb Jacksons depths completely, he makes a reasonably good dive in that direction. --Wes Lukowsky