Phil Jackson

there was still a lot of physicality that went on that was, you know, targeted players.

So this is one of the things that I admired about Michael was his ability to play.

When players were playing four games in five nights at that time, which they don't do anymore, that he could play that fourth game in the fifth night as hard as he played the first game in that series of games in that week.

Yeah, you know, I'd witnessed that with my own group of teammates, you know.

That intense feeling is of being surrounded and being, you know, assailed with, you know, requests.

But this came when we were not at that time on exclusive floors in hotel rooms and we're still staying in Holiday Inns and Ramadas and so forth.

I came out of my room, which was on the top floor, and there were five people outside of Michael's door.

They were all either baggage people, chefs, cleaning room people, people that were literally looking for this autograph from someone that they admired.

that were their own generation, their own family type of situation.

And Michael took the time to do that.

But when it came to going in airports that were still flying commercially at that time,

It was almost like he had to go into a private room to stay out of the public view until the actual gate was opened and the team could go on so that it wasn't overwhelmed by this dramatic appeal for his autograph or to touch him or to be part of it or take a picture.

I don't know.

I think it puts you on a different level when you start asking for things.

It puts you on a beneficial or receivership.

And when you want to be in an influential space with someone,

You want not to have that detrimus, that little garbage, that little layer between you, you know, that just makes a difference.

And I recognize that as something that I felt was important as a leader and a coach.

Well, he's in the book, and he's one of the guys that's won five championships, which means something.

And he's been a great scorer, and he's been a...