Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players

The legendary sportswriter and the Hall of Fame, eleven-time NBA champion coach separate the music from the noise in the stories of the greatest who ever played and their impact on the game

Sam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each otherin the late 1980s, when Smith was a Chicago Tribune sportswriterand Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Fortyyears later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped theNBA arrive at a list of the seventy-five greatest players of all timein celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary. Phil Jackson wasasked to participate too, but he’s not a big fan of ranking greatness.They’ve been enjoying the argument ever since.

In Masters of the Game, Smith and Jackson chop it up about thebasketball life, the sport, and both the genius and shadow side ofthe all-time greats: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bill Russell, Wilt,Jerry West, Bird, LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, Bill Walton, and more. Ina conversation full of high-grade analysis and high-grade gossip, wemeet the stars of long-ago eras of basketball and see the mark raceleft on players and the business of the game—and we get a masterclass on character and the alchemy of a good team. And of course,inevitably, these two old heads get into the GOAT debate.

There are so many huge characters here, and Smith and Jacksoncan hold their own with any of them. Their spirit—sharp, wise,irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game butnever pious—and the clash of their different perspectives combineto make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness opento all students.

Sam Smith is the author of five books on basketball, including the New York Times bestseller The Jordan Rules. Smith received the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2012 Curt Gowdy Media Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association. He wrote for the Chicago Tribune for twenty-nine years and currently writes for Bulls.com.


Phil Jackson is the coauthor of the number one New York Times bestseller Eleven Rings, The Last Season, and Sacred Hoops. He’s arguably the greatest coach in the history of the NBA. His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998; during his tenure, Chicago won six NBA titles. His next team, the Los Angeles Lakers, won five NBA titles, from 2000 to 2010. He holds the record for the most championships in NBA history as a player and a head coach. Jackson was a player on the 1970 and 1973 NBA champion New York Knicks. In 2007 he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.