I thought that this book was very inspirational and encouraging. Phil Jackson was raised in a Christian household just like me, so off the bat, I felt like I had a connection with his story. One of my favorite parts of this book was the religious standpoint. Phil Jackson showed a perfect example of how to bring religion into your everyday life. Also, he expressed how you don’t need to only believe in one religion. Jackson was Christian and zen. Zen’s origin is Chinese and is all about meditation and intuition. But somehow Phil Jackson managed to bring the idea of zen, into the game of basketball. He explains how you have to be focused on everything and everybody in that play at the same time, and practicing zen helps with that.

Now the pros and cons of the book. The first perk is that you learn a lot about the game of basketball. Phil talks about his journey from playing on the driveway to playing on the New York Knicks in the NBA. There are a lot of life lessons he teaches you along the way that could help you if you are a basketball player or not. Secondly, you will learn a lot about religion. As I said earlier, Phil Jackson is Christian and also practices Zen. On top of Zen being a religion, there are a lot of health benefits of meditation. Some of the gains of reflection include: reducing of stress, improves concentration, the increase of happiness, and slows aging. Lastly, I like the structure. This book had long chapters, but within them were headings. I thought that this was very helpful to the reader. If you are only interested in basketball and his teachings, you can skip the parts of the book that talk about Zen and religion, or visa versa. In my opinion, the first con of this book is the pacing. I thought that the book was a little bit slow. Sometimes Jackson drags on some of the stories that he tells, which caused some boredom for me.

Another review that comes from the name of Michael says a significant quote from the book. It is “In basketball -- as in life -- true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.” I 100% agree with this statement. I believe in living in the moment and going with the flow. If you are entirely focused on the task at hand every day, you will succeed. But, if you are worried about a test that is coming up or something you have to do later that day, you will not be focused.
Overall, I thought that this book was informative. I recommend this book to anyone of inspiration and athletes.

This was a great book that provided a TON of outstanding coaching insight from one of the most successful coaches out there. From values to exploring circumstances, there was a lot that I marked up from Coach Jackson’s experiences that I’ll apply to my career. The section that covered peace of mind leading to right values and ultimately leading towards influencing others was my biggest takeaway! There was also a great progression of the experiences Jackson had from an athlete to a young coach to a seasoned coach that makes you realize that everyone starts somewhere but making the most of what you’re given will be the determining factor of your personal success.

tOverall I really liked this book. It was really interesting to see his journey from player to coaching some of the best players in history to championships. From the start I felt connected to this book because Phil Jackson, just like me, was raised in a Christian household. It was really interesting to hear him say that setbacks can be a good thing. He said they allow you to focus on yourself and what you are trying to accomplish. It really makes me think about how to bounce back after I mess up or do something wrong. For example if I make a mistake in football I can learn from that and know what not to do. It was interesting to hear Phil Jackson’s view on all of the moving parts in basketball. He talks about the subtle interweaving of players at full speed to the point they are moving as one. Before this I never thought about it like this. Now that I heard this it really makes sense with all of the sophisticated half court plays and transition plays. Phil Jackson is a very religious person and he shows you how to bring it into your everyday life.
tPhil Jackson talks about how people cherished Michael Jordan. They loved him. They loved him so much some people would kneel in front of his statue and prayed. Many African American children had Michael Jordan, along with God, and their parents, as the person they most admired. This got me thinking about if there is anyone like this today and if this reaction is okay. One great thing about this book is I learned a lot of things I did not know about basketball before. Jackson tells about many life lessons and how to overcome obstacles. The book was also easy to read even with the advanced vocabulary. Jackson is a basketball genius and he knows his way around books too! In this book Jackson was very detailed, almost too much. He would drag out stories with information you do not think you need, but it helps you tale in the big picture. One thing I did not like about this book is although he talked about basketball he did not talk about it alot. One of the main reasons I chose to read this book is because I wanted to learn more about basketball. I did learn things that I did not know but he talked most about morals and his personal life. I feel like Jackson did not cover parts of his coaching strategies enough if at all.
tOne review said, “I enjoyed how Jackson would use his Christian roots and meditation skills learned in Zen to calm himself and make him a better coach. It was very interesting.” I agree with this. To hear about the multiple steps he took to use Zen to help him in everyday life is incredible.

Phil Jackson is easily one of the most interesting cats around and his lifestyle and experiences can gives you unique insight into the being alive. I read this book and found the information inside to apply to all aspects of my life. Be it working on a team, pursuing a dream or even just sitting with your own thoughts. It's worth your time if you're ever just curious about spirituality but don't quite get what it is.

Good read with many inspiring mindful insights into sports, business and also life from on of the most fascinating coaches the game of basketball has ever seen.
Especially interesting is the connection he draws between different religions, spiritual Indian and Zen traditions and team building in sports.
If you are looking for behind the scenes stories about Jordan or other Bulls, you will be disappointed. Rather Phil Jackson guides the reader through his continuously evolving thinking about basketball and life and explains not only his philosophy of the game, but also how this style has developed over the years.

For a ghost-written book about Chicago Bulls basketball, this was more readable and interesting than I anticipated. Probably best paired with a watch of The Last Dance. At this point, a lot of the meditation, zen, and spirituality lessons upheld by Phil Jackson have been introduced in sports, businesses, and other areas, so not quite so groundbreaking now as the concepts might have been at the time of publishing. Still, not a bad read, easy to get through, and an admirable counterpoint to the egoism / self-centeredness that dominates sports and American culture.

Legendary Bulls coach Phil Jackson takes us on a ride through the values, beliefs and philosophy that powered his life and basketball career as a player and as a coach. While fun to revisit the Bulls, Michael Jordan and their championship run, the book falls a bit flat.

The writing could have used a bit more panache as the flow was usually - I thought this, then that happened, then this happened. The book would have benefited from a bit more insights into a particular season or player relationship, rather than reading like a straight history.

I have been a coach for all my career. My style was a combo of fire and brimstone preacher meets General George Patton. This worked in most situations but in reflection could have been better.

Phil Jackson's story shows us how to evolve as a coach and a leader. How to be a teacher and a leader.
This passage from the book was probably my favorite and most revealing

"In basketball -- as in life -- true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way."

As the years have passed I have mellowed. I would place less importance on wins and losses and more emphasis on learning and growing.

If only I would have had Phil Jackson as a mentor.

In this book, Phil Jackson does a splendid job describing his approach to coaching basketball, mainly the championship(s) team, the Chicago Bulls. Jackson explains his practicing with Zen, which is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. He teaches readers of the book the importance of being aware, and being in the moment, not of the moment. I really like a statement he has, which is, “The point of Zen practice is to make you aware of the thoughts that run your life and diminish their power over you.” Which means to me that being aware of the moment at that moment, and acting instinctively within it, is key to succeeding. Coach Phil even has an entire chapter dedicated to awareness, “Being Aware is More Important Than Being Smart.” In that chapter he mentions a Zen saying, “chop wood, carry water,” and adds, “The point is to perform every activity, from playing basketball to taking out the garbage, with precise attention, moment by moment.” I really like how he interpreted it and made it clear for us as readers to understand. He does a really good job in this book taking complex things, and making them much more simpler. Besides the Zen practicing, he has a chapter for each concept of his coaching. From where he started experimenting in not as good leagues, to how he managed the greatest basketball player and arguably the greatest athlete of all time, Michael Jordan. As for me, I play a lot of basketball and struggle both in basketball, and in my personal life with the mental aspect of it. But after this amazing book, I have been able to break down my life/game, and visualize, act, and react, with “a clear mind, and open heart” as Jackson puts it. And most importantly, be of the moment. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about sports, or who is very interested with how the mind works and how to work it. 10 out of 10, 100%

This is a thoughtful and revealing read about Phil Jackson's approach to coaching and how he included the ancient Buddhist practice of mindfulness in order to teach his players humility, as well as how to focus on the present moment instead of dwelling in the past ("I shouldn't have missed that shot.") or worrying about the future ("What if the player I'm guarding scores on me?"). This is a great book for anyone who enjoyed the documentary series "The Last Dance" about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who won six NBA titles together. It's also a good book for coaches who aspire to develop their athletes as responsible citizens and unselfish teammates.

I personally enjoyed the novel. I liked hearing about Phil Jackson as a person as well as the way he coached some of the ¨Greats¨ in today's world. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys knowing more behind the scenes action of how Phil Jackson was as a coach but then as a human and what really went on away from basketball. My personal favorite parts of the movie were just hearing about how Phil became Phil from his childhood to his adult life hearing all the information that pert anted and makes him who he is today truly glues together why he is an 11 time NBA finals coach

Enjoyed this book very much all the way through. Particularly liked reading about the Bulls. As a Knicks fan, I "hated" them, but they were a great team. Total respect.