Sacred Hoops (Revised): Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior

Picture this: NBA season is in full swing and atmosphere in the stadium is electric as the crowd Favorite Lakers are playing, the noise is deafening and players are all pumped up…amidst all this, one person looks unperturbed, radiating Zen like calmness and taking it all in, even though so much is at stake…That is the Legendary coach Phil Jackson, who made LA Lakers win many Championships and also molded champs like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O Neal to name a few players. That is precisely why I wanted to pick this memoir, as I wanted to know what goes inside Mr. Jackson’s mind, who helped win New York Knicks 5 NBA championships, 6 with LA Lakers and as a coach – 11 times!!! (The only person till date) As you read through this memoir, you will witness Phil Jackson’s love for Basketball as a player and also as a coach. After his team, New York Knicks won the NBA championship against formidable LA Lakers in 1971-72, the moment he has been striving for with all his heart since he was a kid. Yet after 2 days of celebration with family n friends the thrill was gone. “Instead of being overwhelmed with joy, I felt empty and confused” As he was born into an orthodox Pentecostal family, he could not find what he was yearning for, even though his mother made him cram all Bible verses since childhood. Turning point came when he read “The varieties of Religious Experience” after he read the book he has filled with a quiet feeling of inner peace, that he was longing for since a teenager. “It also gave me a deeper understanding of my Pentecostal roots and helped life the curtain of guilt that had shrouded me most of my life” what he was missing was spiritual direction as his devout childhood left an emptiness and he was filled with a yearning to reconnect with the deeper mysteries of life. To fill this yearning he turned to various paths - Eastern traditions, practicing yoga, attending lectures and reading countless books and then he came upon Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki which made him turn to Zen and he also introduced Zen to his players. He brought in a holistic approach to coaching that was heavily influenced by eastern philosophy. He also applied native American spiritual practices and Zen principles, bcz of which he is also referred as “Zen Master” We also get to know about his approach to teach Michael Jordan and making them play as a team and also come to read about Jordan Era and many talented players like Shaq, Derek Fisher and other LA team members and also about NY Knicks teams and the championships won under his tutelage. As Phil Jackson says “If you have a clear mind & an open heart, you wont have to search for direction. Direction will come to you” After finishing the book, you come away knowing the importance of having a balance in your life – once you have a clear mind and an open heart, regardless of the path you choose, the whole world becomes your Oyster. Read it!!! It will give you a Spiritual Direction to your life. Amazon: I got a 2nd hand book and it was delivered in a good condition.

Another beautiful classic which you will love to read specially if your interests lies in deeper psychology.

I think sports are a great source of learning, specially regarding discipline and leadership. Phil Jackson is one of the greatest leaders in sports and this book is certainly a great source of lessons.

What a book! A must for basketzen lovers

You learn a lot about teamwork and how Phil made a team out of great individuals.

A great story, but only a good book. Really this is what I think is honest to say about this work. This is because for as much as I have loved reading about the making of the best basketball team in history from such a privileged angle and for as much as I love the man himself and what he preaches for, yet to be objective the narrative does not live up to the wealth of the content. Rhythm is probably what is missing the most, with frequent gaps in the story and a general fluidity that is severely lacking. Basically, the story does not flow as it should and often it struggles through meaningless yet lenghty stretches only to rush over episodes which would deserve to be explored in full depth. But this is from an objective point of view and only relating to the literary side of the book; personally I would recommend it to anyone and talking about the content this opera should be studied, and well, by anyone willing to coach any team in any given sport. A marvellous lesson from a marvellous teacher. Thus five stars and thus READ IT!!

Fácil de ler e muito interessante. Livro também sobre liderança e a importância de pensar no agora (o famoso mindfullness).