Part 32 (1/2)

The X factor: After the 2009 win in Orlando, my kids gave me this hat to commemorate my record-breaking tenth NBA t.i.tle.

Sacred circle: Giving last-minute notes to the team before game 7 of the 2010 finals in LA. (From left) Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Pau, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, Shannon, Sasha, Jordan, and Josh Powell

Hard line: Pau, Kobe, Fish, and Lamar get ready to stop another Celtics drive in game 7 of the finals.

Tears of joy: Derek Fisher breaks down in the locker room after his inspiring performance in game 3 of the 2010 champions.h.i.+p finals in Boston.

Happy ending: The fans shower Kobe with love after the 2010 win in the Staples Center.

”It's over!” Walking to the locker room with Charley (left), Brooke, and Chelsea after the longest half I've ever had to sit through finally ended, in game 4 of the 2011 Western Conference semi-finals in Dallas.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work on this book began during the winter of 201112 in the living room of Phil's house in Playa del Rey, California, a sleepy beach town. The room, a long floor-through overlooking the Pacific, is filled with mementoes: an Edward Curtis photo of a Kutenai brave gathering rushes in a canoe on Flathead Lake, a totemlike painting of the Bulls' second three-peat team, a giant replica of the Lakers' 2010 champions.h.i.+p ring. Outside the full-length windows, Olympic hopefuls could be seen practicing volleyball on the beach, while a parade of Angelenos in brightly colored exercise wear streamed by on inline skates, bicycles, razor scooters, and other earth friendly vehicles.

Every now and then, Phil would stop expounding on the wonders of the triangle offense for a moment and gaze dreamily at the ocean. ”Look,” he'd say, pointing to a fis.h.i.+ng boat heading out to sea or a small pod of dolphins frolicking in the waves near sh.o.r.e. We'd sit in silence and watch for a while until Phil decided it was time to get back to unraveling the mysteries of the Blind Pig or some other arcane aspect of the Jacksonian game.

Tucked away in the rear of the room is a small meditation s.p.a.ce enclosed by j.a.panese-style paper screens, where Phil sits zazen most mornings. On one wall hangs a beautiful calligraphic drawing of enso, the Zen symbol of oneness, with these lines from Tozan Ryokai, a ninth-century Buddhist monk:

Do not try to see the objective world.

You which is given an object to see is quite different from you yourself.

I am going my own way and I meet myself which includes everything I meet.

I am not something I can see (as an object).

When you understand self which includes everything,

You have your true way.

This is the essence of what we've been trying to convey in this book: that the path of transformation is to see yourself as something beyond the narrow confines of your small ego-something that ”includes everything.”

Basketball isn't a one-person game, even though the media lords sometimes portray it that way. Nor is it a five-person game, for that matter. It's an intricate dance that includes everything happening at any given moment-the tap of the ball against the rim, the murmur of the crowd, the glint of anger in your opponent's eyes, the chatter of your own monkey mind.

The same is true with writing. Creating a book of this kind goes far beyond the solitary work of two guys banging away at their laptops. Fortunately we've been blessed throughout this project with an extraordinary team of men and women who have contributed their insights, creative energy, and hard work to make this book come to life.

First, we would like to thank our agent, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh at William Morris Entertainment for helping give birth to this book and nurturing it along the way. Big thanks also to agent extraordinaire Todd Musburger for his perseverance, integrity, and gift for putting all the pieces together.