“Got on My F**king Nerves”: Kobe Bryant’s Former Teammate Recalls Dealing with an Angry Phil Jackson

One can not be an initiator, a game-changer, and a leader without disappointing a few. This goes true for all the NBA coaches who can’t afford to always be a good cop. So one time in the past, legendary coach Phil Jackson was a bad cop in Lakers’ Metta World Peace’s life. This was during the same year when Kobe Bryant won his fourth title.

Metta was a unique character in his playing days. It took him 6 team changes and 3 name tweaks to come to peace with himself. He was a supreme talent in perimeter shooting as well as defending. But something about his relationship with coach Phil remained even more interesting. 

What happened between the teammate of Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson?

The 40-YO joined the Lakers right on time in the year 2009. By then, he was already a decade old in the league and had a reputation. He was coming off some really consistent seasons with Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and the Houston Rockets.

In an interview, World Peace first praised coach Phil. He detailed, “I love Phil. Phil is a master, everybody knows Phil. He get under everybody’s skin. Sometimes he’s a great coach. We’re together as players and coach doing this thing. And he can push the buttons, get you focused on different things, and it’s all for the team.”

Later, he remembered a day from practice. He shared, “We had our issues, he was talking about my shoes, Phil called me ‘cement-feet.’ I hated it, it got on my f**king nerves. Everybody laughing coz he called me cement-feet… I was talking shit to everybody in practice, one time. I was like ‘we almost beat your last shit [cuss words]’. Phil’s like ‘enough is enough’.”

Was his relationship with coach Phil tarnished?

Phil Jackson had already achieved triple three-peats in the NBA before Metta joined the team. Coach Phil already had a legendary status while World Peace was yet to win his first ring. His average per game also came down in that debut season with the Lakers. So it was only obvious for the coach to be a little tough on him.

As Sandiford-Artest remembered how he felt Phil picked on him because he was averaging poorly. He also added, “But I don’t think Phil and I hold grudges, though. He understands what you’re going through as long as it does not escalate. I see a lot of players getting on Phil, the way he handles it, he’s not afraid. Phil’s crazy, by the way. Have you seen Phil play? He plays like us.”

Artest took his retirement just one year after Kobe Bryant did. His contribution to the Lakers remained huge, but Mamba, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol’s extraordinary success always overshadowed his performance. Still, he is one of the best to have played in the league.