“Jerry, Get the F**k Out”: Shaquille O’Neal Blamed Phil Jackson for Pushing Jerry West Out of LA, the Logo Agreed

Shaquille O’Neal in his book revealed how Phil Jackson drove Jerry West out of Los Angeles Lakers despite The Logo’s contribution to the team.

Shaquille O’Neal’s time with the Lakers was a series of highs and lows. The highs saw him become the best player in the world for three consecutive years. The lows quite literally destroyed the team that had been painstakingly over a decade.

Shaq’s feud with Kobe Bryant garnered the most attention. But there was another low-key feud that missed the spotlight back then but was equally important. Important because it showed how the Lakers had changed under Phil Jackson.

In his book Shaq Uncut, Shaquille O’Neal shed light on the often ignored tussle of power between Phil Jackson and Jerry West.

Also read: “Jerry West was the architect behind Kobe-Shaq’s 3-peat”: The Logo was responsible for changing the landscape of the NBA in 1996

Shaquille O’Neal was disappointed by how Jerry West was treated

After the Lakers finally won a championship in 2000, O’Neal realized what had been going on in the background. With his first championship ring in tow, he began to search for Jerry West. But the legend was nowhere, Shaq couldn’t find him at all.

People claimed that Jerry was superstitious and therefore missing. However, that was false. Shaquille O’Neal soon uncovered the truth. Jerry wasn’t around because Phil Jackson and West weren’t too fond of each other.

During team meetings, Phil would not let Jerry be a part. Jerry West in his book also confirmed the same. He claimed that after a game, Phil rudely threw him out of the meeting.

Jerry claimed that Jackson said the following to him in that infamous and unfortunate meeting:

“Jerry, get the f**k out, I’m not finished here yet”

Phil Jackson’s treatment of Jerry West did not sit too well with Diesel

Diesel openly acknowledged Jerry’s contribution to the team. He believed with all his heart that without The Logo, the Lakers’ three-peat would have been impossible.

And Shaq was right. It was Jerry who assembled that team. He was the one who scouted and drafted Kobe Bryant and got Shaquille O’Neal on a record deal. Interestingly, he was also the one who signed Phil Jackson as the Lakers head coach.

Perhaps Phil’s angst toward Jerry emerged from his interactions with Jerry Krause in Chicago. Jackson may have come to mistrust GMs after the Krause saga preemptively ended the greatest NBA dynasty.

Whatever the reason, Jerry West wasn’t Jerry Krause. He was a legend who deserved far more respect than Phil Jackson gave him.

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