Even though Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson won five NBA titles together during their time with the Lakers, they didn't always see eye-to-eye. In fact, Jackson called Kobe "uncoachable" in his 2004 book, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, which showed just how strained their relationship truly was. But did Kobe actually hate—like, hate—Jackson while the two were busy winning championships?
At times, yes. At least, that's what Jackson believes. During an interview for Part 5 of "The Phil Files" on ESPN.com, the Knicks team president told Charley Rosen all about his strange working relationship with Kobe, who had some not-so-nice things to say about Jackson during an interview with GQ earlier this year.
"Ah, my good friend Kobe Bryant," Jackson said. "Yes, quite often I could feel his hatred. I'm sure Kobe was pissed when I wrote in The Last Season that he was uncoachable. And yes, we were often at loggerheads. He wanted more freedom and I wanted him to be more disciplined. This is a normal source of friction thing between coaches and players on just about every level of competition."
However, Jackson also admitted that he and Kobe got along better during their later years with the Lakers.
"When I came back for my second stint with the Lakers, Kobe and I worked it all out," he said. "I gave him more of a license to do his thing, as long as it stayed within the overall context of the triangle. And we did win two more championships. Anyway, I've always seen Kobe as a truly great player, an intelligent guy, and a remarkable person."
So maybe their relationship isn't that complicated after all? Er, yeah…no. It's definitely a strange situation and something tells us it's only a matter of time before one of them badmouths the other one again.
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[via Eye on Basketball]
