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Mind Games follows the journey of Phil Jackson to the top of basketball's coaching hierarchy, a rise that took him from obscurity in the Continental Basketball Association to nine championship rings in the NBA. Along the way he turned multimillionaire players on to meditation, transformed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls from a one-man show to a five-man team of domination, and after battling with Bulls management, ended one dynasty to start another on the West Coast.

Sportswriter Roland Lazenby, author of the bestselling Blood on the Horns, reveals the fascinating story of Jackson's life, from his years with the New York Knicks under the legendary Red Holzman to his remarkable nine championships coaching first the Chicago Bulls and then the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Mind Games Lazenby compellingly portrays a man with a unique determination to control the competitive environment he inhabits. A clear picture of the Jackson mystique emerges: philosopher, teacher, manipulator, counselor, psychologist, shaman, champion, master of mind games.

Originally published in 2007, now available in eBook format for the first time.

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Mindgames is the story of Phil Jackson's remarkable rise to the top of the NBA coaching hierarchy. In it, author Roland Lazenby reveals the fascinating elements of Jackson's life and mental approach to coaching that have made followers of his players but also have made him-perhaps not surprisingly-unpredictable and sometimes unpopular to outsiders. It is also a detailed basketball story, with entertaining accounts from Jackson's years with the New York Knicks under the legendary Red Holzman to the remarkable six championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and now a seventh title with the Los Angeles Lakers. His success lies in his intensely psychological approach to building championship teams-maintaining authority without dictating to his players, building friendships with them without pandering to them, and earning their respect. But Jackson's approach is not for everyone. His battles with Bulls management spilled over into an ugly display in 1998 in the midst of their last championship run, and his relationships with a few NBA coaches have turned contentious. Yet even those who don't like him marvel at his mastery, at what he can do with a basketball team that no one else can.

"Mindgames is the story of Phil Jackson's remarkable rise to the top of the NBA coaching hierarchy. In it, author Roland Lazenby reveals the fascinating elements of Jackson's life and mental approach to coaching that have made followers of his players but also have made him - perhaps not surprisingly - unpredictable and sometimes unpopular to outsiders. It is also a detailed basketball story, with entertaining accounts from Jackson's years with the New York Knicks under the legendary Red Holzman to the remarkable six championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and now a seventh title with the Los Angeles Lakers."--BOOK JACKET.

The story behind the man behind seven NBA championships Phil Jackson led Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles before joining the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1999-2000 season. Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey provides an amazing inside look at one of the game's great practitioners and his intensely psychological approach to building championship teams. Veteran basketball writer and author Roland Lazenby compellingly portrays a man with a unique determination to control the competitive environment he inhabits, revealing a clear picture of the Jackson mystique. Features inside stories about Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and others. This paperback edition includes an updated afterword by the author.