- “Michael said he was considering a return to basketball and wondered if he could come to practice the next day and work out with the team. “Well, I think we’ve got a uniform here that might fit you,” I replied.” Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Page 145
- “When Michael finally decided to return, his agent sent out what may be the pithiest press release in history. All it said was, “I’m back.”” Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Page 145
- “He joked about being compared to his former self all the time. “According to some people,” he said, “I’m even failing to live up to Michael Jordan. But I have the best chance of being him because I am him.”” Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Page 159
- “Riley was humbled by the loss. “Dynasties get better as they get older,” he said, adding that he thought the Bulls were “the greatest team in the history of the game since the Celtics, when they won 11 in 13 years.” This was the fourth time one of his teams had been knocked out of the playoffs by the Jordan-led Bulls. “We all have the misfortune of being born at the same time as Michael Jordan,” he added.” Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Page 179
- “Rick compares Kobe’s competitive drive to that of M.J., whom Fox worked with at Jordan’s basketball camps when he was a college student. Rick says: “There are no other individuals I’ve known who act like they do. To them, winning at all costs is all that matters. And they demand that everyone around them act the same way, regardless of whether they can or not. They say, ‘Find somewhere inside yourself to get better, because that’s what I’m doing every day of the week, every minute of the day.’ They have no tolerance for anything less. None.” But Fox noticed a difference between Michael and Kobe. “Michael had to win at everything,” he recalls. “I mean he couldn’t drive from Chapel Hill to Wilmington without making it a race. Whether you wanted to compete or not, he was competing with you. But I think Kobe competes with himself more than anything else. He sets barriers and challenges for himself, and he just happens to need other people to come along with him. He’s playing an individual sport in a team uniform—and dominating it. Once he steps off the court, though, he’s not interested in competing with you in the way you dress or how you drive. He’s obsessed with chasing the goals he set for himself at age 15 or 16.” Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Page 234