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What: “Outside the Lines: the Face of Sports in Native America”

Where: ESPN, Tuesday, 4-5 p.m.

There are a number of stories relating to Native Americans in this show hosted by Bob Ley from the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, but the one of most interest to people in Los Angeles is probably Laker Coach Phil Jackson and his use of the teachings of the Lakota Sioux when he was coaching the Chicago Bulls.

A lot has been made of Jackson and his Zen Buddhism philosophies, and also his use of Yoga and Christianity, but here we see the role of his Native American philosophies. And it’s eye opening.

“A basketball team is like a band of warriors,” Jackson tells reporter Rick Telander. Jackson talks about how Indian rituals cleanse the mind and spirit.

Jackson used to show clips from “The Mystic Warrior” with game films.

Will Perdue, who played for Jackson and the Bulls, says, “If we hadn’t won NBA championships, he might be seen as a little off his rocker. People made jokes that he smoked too many peace pipes back in the old days.”

Later in the feature, Perdue says the teachings “helped us focus.”

Former Bull Steve Kerr talks about how Jackson decorated the Bulls’ team room at their practice facility with Native American artifacts to reinforce in the players’ minds that their journey together each season was a sacred quest.

Jackson said he hasn’t used these methods with the Lakers yet, saying he might try something different. He talks about the Crips and Bloods and gang behavior in Los Angeles and notes, “We are all part of some kind of tribe.”

Some other topics in this edition of “Outside the Lines” include:

* A look at a young women’s basketball player, LeAnn Montes, a Chippewa Cree who is the mother of a 2-year-old daughter and leaves her reservation in Montana to play for the University of Montana.

* The debate over the use of Native American mascots, logos and team names.

* A profile of Jim Thorpe.

* NHL players with Native American heritage.

* Steve Young and his work with the Navajo nation in Arizona.

* Lacrosse, perhaps the oldest sport in America.