Eleven Rings

The Soul of Success

By: Phil Jackson, Hugh Delehanty

Narrated by: Matt Walton

During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the “Zen master” half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.

This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head.

In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he:

• Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s
• Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title
• Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync
• Inspired Dennis Rodman and other “uncoachable” personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves
• Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team.

Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship—six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don’t know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.

Critic reviews

"Through candor and comprehensiveness, Jackson writes a convincing revisionist take, in which he emerges as an excellent coach . . . highly readable . . . reflects Jackson’s polymathy." —The New York Times Book Review

"Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract . . . But the primary thing with Jackson—as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves—is the voice." —Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine

"The legendary Bulls and Lakers leader's new book finally enlightened me to Jackson's lifelong dedication to the game." —The Atlantic

"He tells you at different times to see beyond what is seen and to hear the unheard . . . applicable to groups in any walk of life." —The Bleacher Report

Thanks, Guru Phil!

This book was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Completely entertaining, edifying, and insightful. So much more than a basketball story of one coach's phenomenal success. Full of delicious gems about Michael, Kobe, the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, and championship teams. It was about leadership, Zen, and how to build a team out of individual egos. A triumph of sports writing, even transcendent of sports itself, Phil wrote about how to train & teach young men, and how to "surrender to what is".

For Basketball lovers

There were was a lot of gossip and story telling and gossip about basketball. But the gems that were given were great!

great read

Phil is one of the greatest coaches in sports history. greatly detailed book. enjoyed it

Loved it .

Felt like I was sitting in various stadium as I listened. I felt the rush as he recap his life in the NBA.

Great Insights into Coaching in the NBA

As an NBA fan for 50 years, I found the story both insightful and entertaining. The historical aspects from Phil Jackson were worth the cost alone. The personal leadership insights were unexpected and frosting on a marvelous cake. This was a book that was easy to come back to whenever life interrupted.

I'm glad I bought the book. I expect to listen to it several more times.