Kobe Bryant’s former coach offered a touching tribute to the Mamba after his sudden passing on Sunday.
Phil Jackson, who coached Bryant during all five of his championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, reacted to the news in an official statement.
“The crash was a tragedy for multiple families,” Jackson wrote. “My heart goes out to Vanessa and the families that lost loved ones. Kobe was a chosen one — special in many ways to many people. Our relationship as coach/player transcended the norm. He went beyond the veil.”
Jackson was Bryant’s head coach on the Lakers for 11 seasons from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 until Jackson’s retirement in 2011. While their relationship was tumultuous at times (as detailed in Jackson’s 2004 book “The Last Season” where he described Bryant as “uncoachable), the two remained close even after Bryant’s retirement as a player in 2016.
The 74-year-old Jackson will always be the coach most associated with Bryant, and he has to be as shocked as everybody else is by the tragedy.
