"Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball." --Phil Jackson

Eleven years ago, when Phil Jackson first wrote these words in Sacred Hoops, he was the triumphant head coach of the Chicago Bulls, known for his Zen approach to the game. He hadn’t yet moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he would bring his total to an astounding nine NBA titles. In his thought-provoking memoir, he revealed how he directs his players to act with a clear mind -- not thinking, just doing; to respect the enemy and be aggressive without anger or violence; to live in the moment and stay calmly focused in the midst of chaos; to put the "me" in service of the "we" -- all lessons applicable to any person’s life, not just a professional basketball player’s. This inspiring book went on to sell more than 400,000 copies.

In his new introduction, Jackson explains how the concepts in Sacred Hoops are relevant to the issues facing his current team -- and today’s reader.

But Jackson is not focused solely on success for the sake of success. He recounts his fundamentalist upbringing, his forays into Zen Buddhism and Lakota spirituality, and his efforts to bring ideas of oneness and attunement and selfless play into an NBA dominated by ego, money, cynicism, and media hype. He describes the esoteric "triangle offense" that was based on those philosophical principles.

I was very impressed by this book. It takes many of the principles I've learned in other places and applies it directly to something that I would normally not think of as spiritual. Moreover, Jackson and his Bulls are a powerful and very prevalent example of how spiritual principles can be applied in the real world and made into a success.

Plus, there's a foreword by ex-Senator and ex-Knick Bill Bradley, and numerous stories about Jackson playing with the Knicks and coaching basketball greats. Though I'm not a basketball fan, the magnetism of personalities still fascinates me, and these personal anecdotes only add depth to the lessons Jackson conveys.


Sacred Hoops was very refreshing and thought-provoking.   January 19, 1999
Michael Dickens (Oakland, CA)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful

In lieu of the recent NBA lockout and the subsequent retirement of its premier star attraction, Michael Jordan, reading Sacred Hoops, brilliantly written by former Bulls' coach Phil Jackson, provides a very refreshing and thought-provoking look into the money-driven and often soulessness world of professional basketball. The book takes a wonderful look into the mind of Jackson, raised by Pentacostal parents in Montana, who later became enlightened by Zen and Native American principles during his playing career with the New York Knicks and early coaching stints in Albany, N.Y. and Puerto Rico. Jackson's higher wisdom of teamwork - his philosophy of preaching the expression of the power of mindfulness and compassion in action - became a paradigm for his success in guiding the Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s (the paperback edition chronicles through the 1995-96 season). The book also serves as an insightful memoir full of stories about Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman. For devotees of Jordan, Sacred Hoops serves as a nice complement to other books written about him and shows how Jackson instilled in Jordan - and his teammates - the ability to act with a clear mind and stay calmly focused at all times; how he changed the Bulls into a team that served the "we" instead of "me". Sacred Hoops is an inspiring book - one which you won't want to put down.


Get ready to change your definition of a team   April 22, 2010
Carly Gleason
9 out of 9 found this review helpful


I have always been a huge fan of basketball, especially the Chicago Bulls. Being from Chicago I have always been a fan and the highlights and stories I've seen are just amazing. I am also a big fan of Phil Jackson, so I decided to read the book he wrote when he was a coach for the Bulls, "Sacred Hoops". Once I started; I just couldn't stop until I got to the end. "Sacred Hoops" is more than just a book about basketball, it's a book about life lessons that Phil Jackson has learned during the years he spent coaching the Bulls.

Although there are a lot of great spiritual lessons in the book anyone who reads it cannot help but be intrigued about the basketball part. Phil Jackson was a part of the Chicago Bulls organization while it was going through one of the greatest runs in all of NBA basketball. Between the years of 1990 and 1993, the Bulls won three straight NBA championship titles, making their mark in the basketball world forever. As many people know, this was the time that Michael Jordan was on the team and helped carry the team to the championship. The summer after the last championship, Jordan announced his retirement from the basketball world and shocked everyone. One year later, Jordan decided to come back to the league and from 1996 to1998 the bulls made a run for another 3-peat. Some argue that the Bulls became the best team ever in basketball. But, the team was nothing without a great coach.

Although winning was very important to Phil Jackson, he knew there were a lot more important things too. He took a lot of the knowledge he from his studies of different religions such as Buddhism, and incorporated them into the way he coached his teams. His goal was to take the professional sports self-centered and competitive attitude and make it in an enlightened and selfless organization. In a world where money, media, and arrogance dominates the athletes, Phil Jackson tried to implement the Triangle Offense which brought all his teachings into terms that even the biggest of all egos could understand.

Overall, this book really has inspired me just like it has with many of the other readers that have commented about the book. The book has a lot of great lessons that I really think I could try and bring into my own life. There's really nothing about this book I didn't like. Anyone who decides to read this book, whether you are a basketball fan or not, will be sucked in and won't be able to put it down.



Zen Master he is   April 11, 2008
M. Krumtinger
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Phil Jackson's philosophy on teamwork and leadership is based upon Native American and Buddhist principles. From his book these principles and spiritual lessons are brought to life and explained in a manner only a man like himself could do. He is trying to let people know lessons are taken from the lessons he has learned throughout his life as a basketball player and coach, but these lessons not only pertain to basketball, they can be used for anyone in order to increase the potential of the human spirit. Phil Jackson is a world-renowned player and coach of the NBA. He is now the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and has won three NBA championships with them; however, he is most famous for leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships with legendary players, such as, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Paxson, and many others. He has adopted the teachings of Eastern philosophies, like Buddhism, and received the nickname the "Zen Master" because of it. Phil Jackson has not only written Sacred Hoops, but several other virtuous books. Other books include Maverick, Take It All, More Than a Game, and The Last Season: a Team in Search for Its Soul. Jackson's inspirational messages are powerful and thought provoking and make the reader experience a sense that they are able to incorporate these teachings into their everyday lives, even if they do not play or watch the game of basketball. The methods he uses, for example, meditation, mindfulness, and visualization, and also quotes used from Zen Buddhism to Native American teachings help provide a new or improved outlook on their lives and help make them, as well as other people around them, better people. As Phil Jackson says, "Being aware is more important than being smart." Whether or not you are an athlete, student or just someone looking for inspirational insight this book is a terrific read.