NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal hilariously narrates attending former coach Phil Jackson’s meditation sessions.
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It won’t be wrong to say that Shaquille O’Neal enjoyed most of his success, donning the purple and gold uniform. The Hall of Famer played 8-seasons with the LA Lakers, winning 3-championships, and was the Finals MVP each time. His pairing with Kobe Bryant was nothing short of iconic.
The Diesel would establish himself as the most dominant player the league had ever seen. Speaking of Shaq’s greatness, one cannot ignore the contributions of veteran coach Phil Jackson in his career. A top 15 coach of all-time, the Zen Master helped channel the former seven-foot center’s energies.
Phil coached Shaq for five seasons with the Lakers, during which the latter achieved all-time great status. A physical specimen, the Big Aristotle was gifted with a freakish athletic ability and cat-like reflexes. Nonetheless, O’Neal’s potential remained untapped until the Zen Master’s arrival.
During a past interview with Graham Bensinger, Shaq hilariously divulged one of Phil’s rejuvenation techniques for the Lakers roster, which was always helpful.
“Being from the hood, I know what cannabis smells like”: Shaquille O’Neal draws an analogy while meditating with Phil Jackson.
One of the greatest basketball minds, Phil Jackson, was known for his calm and nonconfrontational demeanor. The Zen Master was the architect behind two of the most successful dynasties in the Bulls and Lakers. The veteran holds the record for the most no. of NBA titles as head coach, with eleven rings.
The four-time ASG head coach not only trained his players on the physical aspects of the game but also prepped them mentally for pressure situations. Thus it’s no surprise that Phil was a firm believer in spirituality, something he advocated as a coach.
Having spent the peak of his prime with Phil, Shaq narrated embracing the former’s meditation techniques.
“Being from the hood, I know what cannabis smells like, so he (Phil) had something that was the cousin of cannabis, whatever the hell that means,” Shaq told Graham Bensinger, who cracked up, revealing Shaq meant sage.
“So (Phil) he comes in and says, ‘Okay guys close your eyes,’ so I’m like w**d?’ a couple of times you get tired from hanging out the night before, but it was always helpful.”
While the Diesel might have found Phil’s meditation class amusing at first, he did understand the benefits of it. The Zen Master was certainly ahead of his time, given the increase in awareness of mental health amongst the players today.
