Phil Jackson's The Last Season

One for the books: I finished reading Phil Jackson's The Last Season in less than a day.I took home the book and borrowed it from my colleague Friday evening. Started reading it around ten in the evening and Saturday night time I was done.

I digress. This is the 9th book I have read in a span of 4 weeks. Topics I have been reading lately includes World War II History, Economics, Art History, Chess Games and History. 
 
And yes, I went through my regular Saturday activities of basketball, chess and fatherhood stuffs which means I had limited time to read the book.

It is about Kobe Bryant, Shaquille Oneal and a coach called the Zen Master. The book is in the first person language and in a journal entry form. From the point of view one of the best ever in NBA history, here's what Wikipedia has to say about his work:

The controversy surrounding the book concerns Jackson's characterization of Bryant and treatment of the breakup. In The Last Season Jackson suggests Bryant's influence on the dissolution and labels him "uncoachable". According to Jackson, in Bryant's exit interview with him he stated that O'Neal's fate with the Lakers would affect his decision to return, saying "I'm tired of being a sidekick." Later in a phone call with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Jackson recounts Buss's explanation of the team's preference for Bryant rather than O'Neal, of which Jackson disapproved: "It's not that I'm enamored with Kobe's character. But he is twenty-six in August. The seven years ahead are the prime years of his career....I have to serve the people who are loyal to me. My mail runs about 5-1 on Kobe to Shaq." Jackson makes his own departure sound like a mutual decision with Laker management, saying he was "at peace" with the outcome, but he recorded Buss's remark: "We're going in a different direction." But Jackson's thoughts on Bryant caused the most stir. While calling coaching O'Neal "an experience I will cherish forever," his inflammatory comment on Bryant continued to draw attention when Jackson returned for a second coaching stint with the Lakers on June 15, 2005.

It was a nice break for me to have the opportunity to read something so close to my heart which is basketball. Although for the past seven years I've been coaching chess, my first love has always been basketball. For the past few weeks I have been having an amazing reading marathon and this book made my run even more enjoyable.