Phil Jackson Would Start a Team With Bill Russell Over Michael Jordan


MJ may be the G.O.A.T., but his former coach wouldn’t pick him first if he was starting a hypothetical NBA franchise. Phil Jackson says Bill Russell would be his first choice. Per Time (via SI): “In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell. He has won 11 championships as a player,’ Jackson said. ‘That’s really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships.’ […] Jackson dodged when asked to select between Jordan and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, whom he coached to five titles between 2000 and 2010. ‘I would flip a coin,’ he said. ‘Whichever one came up heads or tails, I’d take that person. They were that good.'”