Robert Horry accused legendary coach Phil Jackson of kick-starting the infamous feud between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
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When Shaquille O’Neal joined the Lakers squad, Kobe Bryant was an 18-year-old rookie. Black Mamba was barely an adult in 1996, while Shaq was already a man amongst men.
The 6-year age difference gave birth to a brotherly bond at first. Shaq took Bryant under his wing and helped him develop into a lethal force. But by 1999, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were regularly butting heads off the court.
Kobe Bryant’s selfishness and ball-hogging were causing lots of friction with his teammates. At the same time, Shaquille O’Neal’s work ethic did not sit too well with Bean.
But according to Robert Horry, the entire saga would have never started if not for Phil Jackson. He claimed that the Hall of Fame coach started the entire feud.
Also read: Shaquille O’Neal Once Blasted Ben Simmons and Asked Him to Stop ‘Whining’ and ‘Making Excuses’
Horry believes Phil deserves the Credit for Shaquille O’Neal’s feud with Bryant
For Horry to claim Phil Jackson was the culprit in one of the biggest feuds in league history is either brave or ignorant. The reason is simple, Phil was easily the best coach in the league even before he joined the LA squad. If he did indeed stir the pot, there must have been something toxic brewing.
But contrary to that, Phil continued to win even with LA. The toxicity never showed on the court. Shaq and Bryant continued to dominate together. But Robert Horry believes otherwise.
Horry told USA Today in an interview how Phil pitted the two stars against each other. He pointed out that Jackson liked to cause rifts after practice and that he thrived on conflicts.
Horry: “I think Phil Jackson started that feud. It happened many times that after team practice he would say, “Kobe said this about Shaq, and Shaq said that about Kobe.”… We couldn’t believe how could that happen, because just the day before we saw them together, jumping on one another. Phil liked it when there was conflict of some sort.”
Robert Horry’s statement may just be an exaggeration
There is no way to ascertain Horry’s words. The best we can do is to evaluate the instances and facts. While it is true that on some level Phil ignited the rivalry between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal but that was strictly based on his coaching calls.
Jackson wanted Shaq to remain the dominant scorer. But Kobe, who was turning into a lethal offensive force, did not appreciate Phil’s plan of action. Mamba regularly flouted the triangle play and would do what he wanted.
At the same time, Jackson also wanted to maintain Kobe’s aggressiveness. So when Shaquille O’Neal called up a players-only meeting to address Bryant’s selfishness, Phil barged in and saved the young guard from his teammates.
So, there are definitely instances where Phil Jackson took the wrong steps but they do not seem to be born out of spite or the need to start a conflict.
In fact, Bryant and O’Neal were involved in a feud long before the coach even arrived in LA. Shaq had slapped Bryant in a practice in 1998. Bryant pounced on the humongous center after which the two had to be separated.
That altercation was a tell-tale sign of what was to come in the future. Not to discredit Horry but based on all the public details, Phil was definitely not the one to be blamed.
However, there may be things only he knows. Things that escalated a small rift into a full-blown beef. Do you believe Horry?
Also read: Kobe Bryant Once Used ‘Kuroko no Basket’ Reference to Explain How He Scored 81 Points in a Game
