Phil Jackson wished Kobe played more like LeBron

Phil Jackson is always great for a sound bite. This week we’ve already heard his thoughts on why the Knicks are a mess and what’s wrong with today’s game. Now Jackson shares his insight in how he wished Kobe was more like LeBron.

“Oh, they’re– they’re using LeBron every possible way they can. He’s such a great player. I still think his game is gonna grow. I still think it’s gonna grow. But he was like Scottie Pippen was to the Bulls. He’s maybe a pass first and shoot second player. Whereas, you know, Michael or Kobe are like, “I’m gonna shoot this ball.” Every time they get the ball, they’re looking to score. LeBron’s not like that. And I love that about him. But he also, when he goes after scoring, he’s also terrific. You want a player that can do both. I tried to get Kobe to do both for numbers of years, and he could. But his first instinct is to beat the guy that’s in front of him.”

Isn’t it a given that you wish Kobe would pass a little more? But given the fact that Kobe is the owner of 5 rings, I can assume that ultimately neither he nor Phil are too unhappy with the outcome. It’s not fun if we aren’t comparing players to one another, right?

Let’s also not forget to mention that he included the great Michael Jordan in that statement as well. Different personality types and different players. I’ve always been more partial to the Magic Johnson comparison for LeBron anyway. Magic’s career was cut so short, who knows what the 90’s would’ve been like, Jordan vs. Johnson.