Phil Jackson Biography

Fast Facts

• Holds the NBA records for most wins, most playoff wins and highest playoff winning percentage
• Won six NBA championship titles as a coach with the Chicago Bulls and three consecutive titles with the Los Angeles Lakers
• Graduated from the University of North Dakota, where he played basketball
• Began coaching for lower-level leagues after retiring from play in 1980 and was hired as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls in 1987
• Was drafted to the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1967 NBA Draft
• Grew up without movies, dancing or television
• Best known as a professional basketball coach for the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers
• Was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, where he was known for modernizing Tex Winter's triangle offense and for his holistic approach to coaching, which was influenced by Eastern philosophy and Native American spirituality
• Is the highest paid coach in NBA history with a salary of $10 million a year
• His autobiography, "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success," was published in May 2013, and he is also the author of the books "Sacred Hoops," "Maverick" and "More Than a Game․"