Shaquille O’Neal opens up about former coach Phil Jackson – NBA Update
Shaquille O’Neal recently sat down for an interview and talked about his former coach Phil Jackson. Shaquille had nice words for Jackson and the legendary centre gave important insights on the methods his former coach employed,
and how he was as a person.
Shaq retired at the end of this season after a tumultuous time with the Boston Celtics due to injuries. Although “The Diesel” has been around the league and tasted success as well as defeat with many different teams, his best time
was undoubtedly spent under Phil Jackson whilst at the Los Angeles Lakers.
The most successful coach in NBA history helped O’Neal win 3 back to back NBA World Championships at Los Angeles and had a great relationship with the big man. He too retired at the end of last season, after decades in the game
and a record 11 NBA World Championships to his name.
6 of those came with the Chicago Bulls side that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, three with the Lakers of Shaq and Kobe Bryant, and the last two with the current Lakers roster.
Shaquille had trouble during his time at the Lakers with fellow super star Kobe Bryant and the ownership, but he has mostly been a friend of Jackson and spoke of his respect for the legendary coach.
“Phil was a man’s man. He was always the same. He did the same thing every day. Worked on that triangle every day. And he made us believe every day. He always told me what he wanted from me before a game — 29 points and 15 rebounds,
and I’ll do it.” O’Neal said in the interview published at Nola.com
He also went on to discuss how Phil Jackson was adept at coaching the mind and recalled that the master tactician used situations for motivating his players. Shaq said during those times when he had many of his public spats with
teammate Kobe, Jackson always remained impartial and did not interfere.
Instead, Phil used the rivalry between his two most important players to the betterment of the side and helped them be as successful as they were.
“The interesting thing about Phil is when me and Kobe had those squabbles, he never said anything. He knew it motivated both of us. When you look at what we did, it will never be done again. …. But Phil never got involved with
that. I think it was part of his plan.”
Jackson certainly was a great coach who knew how to get the best out of his players. His ideas and methods have been used by coaches not only in the NBA, but around the world.
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