“You can’t get grade schoolers to do that” – Tex Winter made Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen regularly practice chest passes

The legacy of the late former Chicago Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter loomed large within the organization, particularly when it came to the fundamentals of basketball. Winter was a firm believer that it’s the fundamentals that could make or break a team’s success on the court. His commitment to these principles was so profound that even the Bulls’ superstars, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, were not exempt from his rigorous training methods.

According to acclaimed Bulls and Jordan books author Roland Lazenby, Winter’s dedication to the basics was impeccable. He revealed that despite MJ and Pip’s incredible talent and accomplishments, Tex wanted them to regularly perform some fundamental drills before beginning the team practice session.

For instance, Lazenby vividly recalls how Winter made it a point to inject incredibly basic drills, such as properly throwing chest passes, into the dynamic duo’s routine. Lazenby added that these drills were taken seriously, and Tex was very strict about them.

“[Jordan and Pippen] They would spend 15 minutes and start to practice throwing chest passes,” Lazenby shared on (The Investor’s Podcast) in 2017, describing the Bulls’ assistant. “You can’t get grade schoolers to do that. And I mean, they would do this every day. They had all of these drills and they did them all willfully.”

MJ, Pippen and Tex shared the same mentality

Winter is known not just for creating the Triangle offense but also for advocating unselfish basketball. For him, basketball transcends individual talent as it is and will always be fundamentally a team sport. He strongly believed that the essence of the game should remain intact, even when a team has the greatest player in the world on its roster.

Tex’s philosophy was particularly evident during his time with the Bulls. In fact, it was exactly the case as Chicago had Jordan, who was arguably the best player of his era, and of all time.

Despite MJ’s star power, Winter was determined to stick to the concept of teamwork. He pushed for chemistry and collective effort while emphasizing the importance of relying on fundamental skills.

With his God-given knack for designing team plays Winter managed to come up with plays and tactics that centered on sharing the basketball. He never opted for game plans that would prompt the Bulls to rest solely on the shoulders of Jordan or his all-around co-star, Scottie.

Fortunately for Tex, his mentality and approach to the game resembled that of “His Airness” and “Robin’s.” They recognized the value of the assistant’s strategies and embraced his philosophy, allowing them to develop a cohesive strategy as a unit.

As Lazenby recalled, the unexpected synergy between Winter’s coaching style and the players’ willingness to collaborate was crucial in shaping the Bulls’ success and dominance.

“Tex wrote a book about it. He built an entire system,” Lazenby said of Winter’s fundamentalist style of coaching. “Actually, totally different fundamentals. You’ll see so many of his fundamentals in the game today. The toss back machine where everybody learns to throw perfect passes. The toss back machine is Tex Winter’s creation. He was maniacal about fundamentals. He had this entire system based on sharing the ball.”

“It had all of these different fundamentals you had to learn, and it was just this unbelievable convergence because Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan had this work ethic and this determination, and they took all of this stuff,” he added. “He’s one of a kind. He was an intense perfectionist and as Tex pointed out to me, all the great players are unbelievable perfectionists about what they do.”

Earning MJ’s respect

One of Winter’s most admirable traits was his ability to maintain a strong and principled stance as a coach. Jordan appreciated this aspect of Tex’s character, providing a healthy balance in their relationship and the Bulls’ chemistry.

For Jordan, it was vital for the Bulls to have a coach who would not always acquiesce to the desires of star players. In retrospect, MJ was right. This dynamic fostered an environment where constructive feedback and disciplined practice could flourish. Ultimately, the Bulls reached the zenith of success in the NBA under Winter’s guidance.

“Tex was so committed to what he believed in,” Kerr said, reflecting on Winter’s working relationship with Jordan. “He stood up to anybody. He’d argue with Phil, yell at Michael. Michael respected that. He never wanted anybody to kiss his butt. Every once in a while, I’d be on the bench, Michael would make a mistake, and Tex would say: ‘Get Michael out of there! He’s killing us!’ Get Kerr in there. I’d be shrugging: ‘Don’t look at me.'”

All told, Winter’s legacy is a testament to the power of teamwork and the impact of a coach who prioritizes fundamentals over individual talents. Furthermore, his insistence on honing the most basic aspects of the game exemplified the often-overlooked idea that mastery of the foundations is still the key to achieving team success.