The Demands and Fines of Playing with Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson in the 90s Chicago Bulls

Playing in the Chicago of the 90s was having a chance to win titles, but also the obligation to comply with the demands of the duo Michael Jordan / Phil Jackson. And for those who refused, you had to take out your wallet to pay fines!

Michael Jordan, according to the many testimonies that have come out since his retirement, was not necessarily the easiest teammate to live with in a locker room. So obviously, evolving with him was the assurance of playing the leading roles in the league and filling his trophy cabinet, but you also had to accept a few slippages.

The legendary No. 23 liked to win, he did everything to achieve his ends, even if it meant jostling those who shared the locker room with him. Steve Kerr can attest to this, he has already had to fight in training to finally fit in to the collective. But obviously, MJ was not the only one to show a dictatorial grip in Chicago, since Phil Jackson also had very strict methods.

Phil Jackson’s crazy fine against his shooters!

Inventor of the brilliant triangle system, which proved its worth in Illinois then with the Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Zen Master refused to have his ideals shaken up. Passed by Chicago between 1990 and 1994, Scott Williams has just explained at the microphone of ClutchPoints why he and some teammates were fined every time they shot against the coach’s advice.

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I can appreciate the talent that drives the league today. They do things that I couldn’t even try, I had no right. We could not land more than three dribbles on a possession. At the time Phil Jackson even fined Stacey King, Will Perdue and me when we took a 3 point match! If we scored it was fine, but for each miss it was €100.

The NBA of the 90′s and that of today have nothing to do, here is a good example of the evolution of the game. Nowadays, a complementary player unable to put a shot behind the arc will have struggling to find a place in a rotation, struggling to get good contracts, even if he has other obvious qualities such as defense. Frenchman Frank Ntilikina is a fine example of this.

At the time of Michael Jordan it was obviously the opposite, since Scott Williams and certain colleagues took fines as soon as they took long distance shots. Rest assured, he had plenty to see coming, since he only tried his luck 17 times in 4 seasons in Illinois. If the math is correct, he must have paid Phil Jackson $1,500.

In the triangle system there was no need to take long shots, and Phil Jackson made sure everyone respected that. The proof, he even imposed fines on players who tried them all the same.

2023-07-29 17:40:00
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