National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Happy Birthday, Phil Jackson

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Happy 71st Birthday to the winningest individual in NBA history: 13-time NBA champion and New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson.

No matter what a player’s stats look like, the one and only rational goal in a sport is to win. Statistics are empty when they don’t result in victory, and a coach’s acumen is evaluated on the same basis.

No one in NBA history has mastered the art of victory quite like New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson.

Jackson played for the Knicks from 1967 to 1978, winning a pair of NBA championships. He was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998 and the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and 2005 to 2011.

Happy 71st birthday to the most decorated head coach in NBA history.

Unparalleled.

Jackson has won more NBA championships than any head coach in league history. Red Auerbach is second with nine, and John Kundla, Gregg Popovich, and Pat Riley are tied for third with five each.

With 11 championships as a head coach, Jackson truly is in a league of his own.

Jackson is also third all-time in regular season wins behind Lenny Wilkens and Pat Riley. Jackson’s 229 postseason wins are 58 more than Pat Riley’s 171, which checks in at No. 2 all-time.

Though many remember his stints with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Jackson’s glorious coaching career actually began when he was a player for the Knicks.

Red Holzman is quite the mentor.

Jackson helped elevate the greatness of a number of NBA legends. He managed the egos of the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman in Chicago, and made the partnership between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal last as long as it possibly could.

Jackson also coached teams that consisted of the likes of Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace to camaraderie and championship chemistry.

Happy Birthday, Phil Jackson, and best of luck with leading the Knicks to their elusive third championship.

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