Lakers News and Rumors Recap: Thanks For The Memories, Phil

It is here. The book Phil Jackson wrote, titled ”Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success”, has been everything anyone connected to basketball has talked about today. One of the things fans looked forward to was the possible comparison Jackson would offer between Jordan and Bryant, both of whom he had the opportunity to coach. In fact, Phil Jackson coached both NBA stars to all of their championship rings. According to the book, Phil saw a key difference between the two players, stating:

“Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around. Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college.”

Jackson’s tone continues to somewhat favor Jordan. But in this newer book, the famed head coach has much more respect for Bryant. Kobe has been loyal to his mentor for sometime, and took to his Twitter today to give Jackson a nod. He posted an old picture of him and his former coach, briefly mentioning how their relationship has been repaired and is better than ever.

Need a history lesson? Today in 1980 marked a true moment of courage in Lakers basketball, when Magic Johnson stepped in to take over during Game 6 of the NBA finals after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar severely sprained his ankle in Game 5. Magic, the 6’9 rookie PG, had 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line. The Lakers won 23-107 over the Philadelphia 76ers. Magic became the first (and only) rookie to be named NBA Finals MVP.

Remember when Kobe exploded Twitter? On January 4th, 2013, Bryant made millions of Lakers’ fans ecstatic by tweeting the following, “the antisocial has become social #mambatweets,” and introducing himself to the world of social media. Within hours of his account creation, Kobe had hundreds of thousands of followers. Today? His count reaches 2,571,639… only four and a half months later. Now, the Mamba is a finalist in four of the nine categories that the fans can vote on for NBA awards, all of which have to do with social media. After his epic in game tweeting, Achilles updates and overall mastery of Twitter/Instagram in such a short period of time, Kobe is sure to win at least one.

Lakers Nation News

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Lakers Anniversary: Magic Johnson Scores 42 Points Against 76ers

Lakers News: Bryant’s Parents Say Kobe Lied About Memorabilia Claims

Curious Case of Derek Fisher: 5-Time Champion’s Time Running Out

Phil Jackson Compares Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in New Book

Kobe Bryant Nominated For ‘Social MVP’ In NBA Social Media Awards

Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Posts Picture of Himself, Phil Jackson

Lakers News

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Phil Jackson Discusses Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers in New Book, According to Reports [Silver Screen and Roll]