• Faith: Buddhist
• Career: Public Figure
• Birthday:  September 17, 1945

Phil Jackson is a former professional basketball coach, player, and executive. As a power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, leading them to six NBA championships. Then, he coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011; under his leadership, the team won five league titles.

His 11 NBA titles as a coach surpassed the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach, and he holds numerous other records as a coach, like the most postseason wins and most NBA Conference titles. He’s the author of several candid books about his teams and basketball strategies. In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of the celebrations for the NBA’s 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history. He retired from coaching in 2011 and joined the Knicks as an executive in 2014, but he was dismissed as the Knicks’ team president in 2017.

Jackson was born in Montana in 1945. His parents, Elisabeth and Charles, were Assemblies of God ministers. In the churches that they served, his father typically preached on Sunday mornings and his mother on Sunday evenings. Eventually, his father became a ministerial supervisor. Phil, his two brothers, and his half-sister grew up in a basic environment in a remote area of Montana, where no television or dancing was allowed. He didn’t see his first movie until he was a senior in high school and went to a dance for the first time in college. Growing up, he thought he would be a minister. Jackson attended high school in Williston, North Dakota, where he played varsity basketball and led the team to a state title. He also played football, was a pitcher on the baseball team, and threw the discus in track and field competitions.

The high school now has a sports complex named after him. Jackson’s brother Chuck speculated years later that the three Jackson sons threw themselves passionately into sports because it was the only time they were allowed to do what other kids were doing. Jackson attracted the attention of several baseball scouts. Their notes found their way to future NBA coach Bill Fitch, who previously coached baseball and had been doing some scouting for the Atlanta Braves. Fitch took over as head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota in the spring of 1962 during Jackson’s junior year of high school. He was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1967.

What religion is Phil Jackson?

Phil Jackson identifies as a Buddhist. He’s known for using Tex Winter’s triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that was influenced by Eastern philosophy, garnering him the nickname “Zen Master.” He cited Robert Pirsig’s book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He’s also applied Native American spiritual practices, as documented in his book Sacred Hoops.