Gilbert Arenas has been quite vocal about the happenings in the NBA recently. A former NBA superstar himself, Agent Zero has an inside understanding of the league. And, recently in an interview with VladTV, he discussed the relationship between players and coaches. In particular, he mentioned how star players can have a final say on whether coaches stay or go. Like, when Shaquille O’Neal was ousted by the Lakers thanks to Kobe Bryant 19 years ago, Phil Jackson was asked to join him as well.
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The Black Mamba and Big Diesel weren’t exactly the best of friends back in 2004. They were at each other’s throats 24×7, as their egos struggled with each other for the role of team leader. It got to the point, where even Phil Jackson was involved. So, seeing as the Zen Master sided with Shaq, many believe Kobe influenced his departure.
Gilbert Arenas points to Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson when discussing how star players get coaches fired
The loyalties of an NBA franchise to their coaches nowadays are fickle. One bad season, or just a string of losses is enough for even the finest of coaches to lose their jobs. Over the summer, several of them, including Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse, Monty Williams, and Mike Budenholzer lost their jobs.
It was an intriguing phenomenon, one that got many questioning the power coaches have in a team. Mainstream media still believes that coaches have a lot of say, but there are those who say otherwise. In particular, former NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas believes a lot of power actually lies with a team’s star player.
Speaking to VladTV, No Chill Gil discussed the importance of coaches to a winning culture for NBA teams. This eventually led to the job security these coaches have. And, while discussing the same, Arenas explained that more often than not, star players get the final say. To prove his point, he cited the infamous feud between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The head coach Phil Jackson notoriously took O’Neal’s side prompting Kobe to take action.
“The star player… if he don’t like the coach, then that coach is getting fired. I’m pretty sure that happened… let’s say with Trae Young over there. Could have been… if you don’t get along with the coach, like, ‘It’s me or him!’… that f**king s*it always happens. You know with Kobe when Shaq left, and he was like, ‘Hey you can take Phil with you! You can take Phil with you! I don’t need Phil for the s*it I’m tryna do! I don’t need him talking about winning when I’m trying to show the world who I am!’ Sometimes players got to go through that mode.”
If reports are to be believed, Kobe was influential in getting Jackson out and was quite boisterous about his role in it. But, just a year after being removed, the Zen Master returned. Both he and Bryant made amends and went on to find much success.
Phil Jackson and Bryant reunited in 2005 and went on to win two championships
Phil Jackson left his role as Lakers head coach in 2004. However, just one year later, he returned to the role, reuniting with Kobe Bryant, a player he did not see eye-to-eye with. Nevertheless, the two were able to work out their differences and found much success together in the coming years.
Jackson remained with the Lakers for six seasons and helped both them and Kobe secure two championships in 2009 and 2010.
This second stint further amplified both his and Kobe’s greatness. It took his tally of championships as a head coach from nine to 11 and helped The Black Mamba earn that all-important fourth and fifth rings. Essentially, it cemented their places as legends of the game.
