Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Eleven Rings

By: Phil Jackson, Hugh Delehanty
Narrated by: Matt Walton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the "Zen master" half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players' nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.

This is the story of a preacher's kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head.

In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he:

  • Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s
  • Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title
  • Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync
  • Inspired Dennis Rodman and other "uncoachable" personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves
  • Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team.

Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship - six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don't know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.

©2013 Phil Jackson & Hugh Delehanty (P)2013 Penguin Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Through candor and comprehensiveness, Jackson writes a convincing revisionist take, in which he emerges as an excellent coach...highly readable...reflects Jackson’s polymathy." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract.... But the primary thing with Jackson - as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves - is the voice." (Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine)

"The legendary Bulls and Lakers leader's new book finally enlightened me to Jackson's lifelong dedication to the game." (The Atlantic)

Featured Article: Slam-Dunk Basketball Listens That Will Take You Courtside


Basketball has produced some of the most incredible athletes, coaches, team rivalries, and championship events in the history of sports. So it’s no surprise that many of these personalities and their stories have been immortalized as audiobooks. In this list, you will find some of the best basketball audiobooks ever. These gripping listens are easily available to anyone who wants to revisit familiar tales of glory or learn more about the history of this beloved sport.

What listeners say about Eleven Rings

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,347
  • 4 Stars
    700
  • 3 Stars
    172
  • 2 Stars
    25
  • 1 Stars
    20
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,916
  • 4 Stars
    653
  • 3 Stars
    178
  • 2 Stars
    29
  • 1 Stars
    22
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,064
  • 4 Stars
    549
  • 3 Stars
    137
  • 2 Stars
    32
  • 1 Stars
    14

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thanks, Guru Phil!

This book was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Completely entertaining, edifying, and insightful. So much more than a basketball story of one coach's phenomenal success. Full of delicious gems about Michael, Kobe, the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, and championship teams. It was about leadership, Zen, and how to build a team out of individual egos. A triumph of sports writing, even transcendent of sports itself, Phil wrote about how to train & teach young men, and how to "surrender to what is".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

For Basketball lovers

There were was a lot of gossip and story telling and gossip about basketball. But the gems that were given were great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great read

Phil is one of the greatest coaches in sports history. greatly detailed book. enjoyed it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it .

Felt like I was sitting in various stadium as I listened. I felt the rush as he recap his life in the NBA.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Insights into Coaching in the NBA

As an NBA fan for 50 years, I found the story both insightful and entertaining. The historical aspects from Phil Jackson were worth the cost alone. The personal leadership insights were unexpected and frosting on a marvelous cake. This was a book that was easy to come back to whenever life interrupted.

I'm glad I bought the book. I expect to listen to it several more times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent read.

Very insightful read about what goes in to being a great leader. The lessons taught are applicable to every walk of life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

it's not just about basketball

dive deeper into the Zen teaching Phil Jackson proposes and it's more than just basketball

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Zen Master career

Phil Jackson does an excellent job RIA counting his career from his college days with the Bulls and Lakers. great insight to motivating quotes as well as books and authors buried within his book. when trying to learn about dealing with complex personalities strong egos still does a great job teaching an individual how to command the top of the top talent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dealing with EGOS.

Goes over the ups & downs of each championship & how he dealt with it. Good insight on how he did his leadership.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good reminder of many leadership practices

Phil had a lot of good techniques and principles for leaders, especially leaders over groups that consistently find themselves in competitive or very difficult environments.
I personally haven’t watched any basketball games, so I feel that if you’re into basketball, you will definitely like the stories about the players even more-so.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!