Mamba Mondays | Kobe and Phil

Like many star players and their coaches, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson had a complex relationship. They had a lot of success together, but it was not without their struggles.

They won three championships in a row together, but Phil Jackson wrote that Kobe Bryant was uncoachable, and after losing in the finals to the Detroit Pistons, stopping them from winning four in a row, Phil Jackson left the Lakers.

Jackson returned to Kobe and the Lakers, and they won back-to-back championships during their second run together. Kobe said:

"It took us until our second stint together to realize how we were perfectly suited for one another. During our first go-together, Phil thought I was uncoachable. He thought I questioned his authority and questioned his plans. He thought I didn't listen. When he came back, he realized that I was just very inquisitive and unafraid to ask questions. He realized that that's how I process information and learn. Once he put his pulse on that, he was more patient with me. He was more willing to sit and answer my many questions and talk everything through."

How many times have you thought that one of your athletes, or parents, were being selfish, rude, or uncoachable when they were just trying to learn more about what your vision was, or trying to better understand what you wanted out of your athletes?

Kobe also wrote:

"One of the reasons our relationship worked is because, in a lot of ways, we were polar opposites. Every team needs either a confrontational star player or coach. In San Antonio, Gregg Popovich was that guy and Time Duncan was not. In Golden State, Draymond Green is the confrontational one; Steve Kerr is not. For us, Phil was not that type of person, so I provided that force. You always have to have that balance and counterbalance, and Phil and I were perfectly suited for each other in that way."

This is why diversity is so valuable. We all bring something different and unique to the team. We have to be willing and unafraid to be who we are, and we have to create a culture where everyone is free to be themselves and shine in their role.