In 1995, Shaquille O’Neal seemed to be destined for greatness after leading the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, his efforts didn’t result in a victory. But the future looked bright for the 7-foot-1 big man. Four years later, O’Neal was in the middle of a new chapter with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite having better talent around him, he couldn’t return to the stage he once tasted. He was naturally enraged but one essential figure prevented the eventual Hall-of-Famer from succumbing to it.
Advertisement
Following the NBA lockout ahead of the 1998-99 season, the Lakers put together a solid year as a team. Behind the star power of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, they finished with the fourth seed in the West. Once the postseason came around, fate led them to a duel against the San Antonio Spurs.
A battle between two dominant big men in Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal was a box office draw. Fans quickly realized these two teams were no match for each other. The Spurs handled business swiftly, ending the second-round series in a sweep.
In the decisive Game 4, O’Neal put forth 36 points and 14 rebounds. Despite carrying the load for the team, it wasn’t enough. As a result, the big man stormed to the locker room and wreaked havoc on anything he could find.
Every person in O’Neal’s vicinity was scared to get close to him. Everyone except the late-great Jerry West.
“I’m in the Laker locker room. There’s p*** and s*** everywhere. I’m ripping off urinals, ripping off doors,” O’Neal revealed on the Armchair Expert. “Somebody grabs me, and he’s pretty strong. I’m like, ‘Get the f*** off of me!’ I turn around and it’s Mr. West.”
Once O’Neal realized it was Jerry West who came to calm him down, he immediately began to dial his emotions down. But West didn’t hesitate to keep it real with O’Neal in that moment.
“He pushes me and I f****** go back. ‘Calm the f*** down! You’re going to get it done,'” O’Neal said, “He tells me that he went to the Finals seven, eight or nine times and lost.”
Once West put into perspective the amount of agony he experienced as a player, suddenly, O’Neal’s anger didn’t feel justified. West didn’t just lose in multiple NBA Finals, but he never won an NBA championship through nine appearances. Shaq didn’t even reach the Finals; his anger stemmed from a second-round loss.
O’Neal quickly began to settle down his emotions, and West ensured that the team would only get better. The following offseason, the Lakers looked to find a replacement for their head coach. Coincidentally, Phil Jackson’s tenure with the Chicago Bulls seemed to run its course. Finally, the Lakers seemed like they were turning around.
“I’m trying to help him out. I saw Phil was having problems in Chicago. I was like, ‘You need to call Phil,'” O’Neal said.
West was able to land Jackson, and the rest is history. The Lakers won three consecutive championships in his first three seasons as head coach. It may seem like a minor moment throughout O’Neal’s Lakers career, but West’s actions played a big part in Shaq’s life in general.
