Chicago Bulls: Takeaways From The Last Dance Documentary

7. Phil Jackson had perhaps the most unique way of managing the Bulls locker room

Look, Phil Jackson has won 13 NBA championships. Two as a player and then 11 as a member of the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout the documentary, Jackson’s former players state how unique his coaching style was, sometimes incorporating Eastern philosophy into his practice sessions.

Perhaps the player who benefitted most from Jackson’s unique coaching styles was Dennis Rodman, who was arguably the most controversial personality on the Bulls. The documentary shows scenes of Rodman running off to Las Vegas midseason for a vacation and then missing NBA Finals practices because of commitments to the WWE.

Any other coach would have likely benched someone like Rodman but rather than blow up in his face, Jackson figured out ways to manage Rodman’s personality, with Rodman being quoted as saying: “He accepted me for who I was, a person.”

Overall, Jackson’s coaching styles were evident and he applied the same tactics when he eventually arrived in Los Angeles and began another dynasty with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal as the faces of his second championship run.