Shaquille O’Neal has to be one of the most entertaining athletes in the world. He is goofy, he is witty, and he likes all the drama in the world. He carries the same energy everywhere. Whether on the NBA on TNT show or in his documentary, Shaq is honest and funny. In his book, Shaq Uncut, he revealed that he had a similar side to him even during his playing days.
Advertisement
In a fascinating story, Big Diesel amusingly described how he would pester his Lakers coach Phil Jackson for GOAT stories. Shaquille O’Neal, who was an ardent Michael Jordan fan, wanted the coach to share stories about his former star. However, Phil Jackson wasn’t too keen on sharing them.
Phil Jackson wasn’t interested in talking about Michael Jordan
Shaquille in his 2011 biography wrote about this exchange in detail. He revealed his interest in knowing Michael’s stories. Phil, who had coached Michael for 9 seasons in Chicago, obviously knew a lot about the legendary guard.
However, Jackson showed reluctance in sharing any stories about MJ. He preferred talking about the Bulls. But Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t interested in Scottie or Dennis, and their triangle offense. He only wanted to know about MJ’s legendary conquests.
O’Neal: “People ask me all the time if Phil Jackson ever talked about Michael Jordan. I don’t remember him doing that a lot. He talked about the Bulls in general, but rarely about Black Jesus. I would have liked to known a little about MJ. He was the greatest player I had ever seen, and it would have been kind of cool to hear what made him tick, but Phil didn’t go there. He wanted us to develop our own identity.”
Shaquille O’Neal shared a complicated relationship with Phil
When Jackson took on the Lakers’ coaching gig, he promised Shaq championships. He laid down a few laws. Shaq couldn’t party, couldn’t act, and couldn’t rap. He was only allowed to focus on bringing a championship to LA.
Shaquille agreed to all the terms. Together, Jackson and O’Neal went on to win three consecutive titles. But with the rise of Kobe Bryant, the power shift slowly but steadily altered Shaq and Phil’s dynamics.
Shaq once confessed that he believed Phil had a role to play in his feud with Bryant. The feud eventually caused the end of Shaq’s days in LA. Fortunately, the two seem to have made up. They talk fondly about each other and are on cordial terms.
