Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B003BWG1RA | Format: EPUB
Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior Description
One of the most successful coaches in NBA history, Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson provides an inside look at the higher wisdom of teamwork with Sacred Hoops.
A new paradigm of leadership based on Eastern and Native American principles, Jackson's approach flies in the face of the egoistic, winner-take-all attitude that has changed the face of American sports. Rather than winning through intimidation, Jackson - who describes himself as a Zen Christian - stresses awareness, compassion and, most of all, selfless team play.
Filled with stories about Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, and other members of the Bulls, Sacred Hoops reveals how Jackson directs his players to act with a clear mind; 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, so that the "me" becomes the servant of the "we".
In Sacred Hoops, Jackson takes us inside the mind of the thinking man's coach as he builds one of the greatest teams of all time. Not just for sports fans, this inspiring memoir is for anyone interested in the potential of the human spirit.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 1 hour and 53 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Abridged
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: March 11, 2010
- Language: English
- ASIN: B003BWG1RA
I picked up this book in an airport bookstore only because I love basketball and I have been a Michael Jordan fan since he was in high school. I LOVED it. Sacred Hoops helped me really understand and appreciate why the Bull's, and other teams that build on a similar philosophy, have a special magic. It also helped me see how this philosophy can be used to improve and enhance any endeavor that requires teamwork. I will be reading this book again to be reinspired. I loaned the book to my 75-year old mother. She bought additional copies to give to friends and bought it for the local library. Then she lent it to my 15-year old niece, who plays high school hoops. My niece commented that her coach must have read the book half-way through last season because he suddenly changed his coaching style to be similar to Jackson's. My niece passed it on to her mother, a mother of 4 with a black belt in karate. Her mother immediately went out and bought two books Jackson recommends, commenting that she imagined anything he recommended would be worth reading. When the book returned to me, my husband (who is, no kidding, a rocket scientist) decided to read it to see what all the fuss was about. He has now passed it on to an Italian colleague who says, wow this is good. Never have a seen such a wide range of people, in interests and ages, respond so strongly and positively to a book. This is a book that can enhance your life, no matter what you do
By A Customer
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of basketball. But it is at least a sport that I can appreciate, which is more than I can say for American football. Nevertheless, this book is not really about basketball-it's about spirituality and selflessness through basketball. The author is Phil Jackson, formerly of the New York Knicks (and colleague of Bill Bradley) and, later, coach of the Chicago Bulls - the only coach in NBA history to pull of twin "three-peats" - three consecutive NBA Championships, not once but twice. Under Jackson's guidance and the leadership of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright, and others, the Bulls became the best basketball team in the world.
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.
By David
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