“Shaquille O’Neal had the bounce and speed but not the endurance that Wilt Chamberlain had”: Phil Jackson perfectly broke down the difference between the Lakers legends

Phil Jackson talked about what he believed to be the difference between Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, two legendary Lakers big-men. 

When it comes to the title of ‘most dominant player of all time’, two names get brought up more than any other: Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. The way they dominated the game may have seemed to be similar from a quick glance but looking at their style of play through a lens shows just how different they were. 

Wilt Chamberlain relied on the massive height differential between himself and his opponents, using moves like his iconic dip shot where he simply ‘dipped’ the ball into the hoop. He also had quite the neat fadeaway along with a decent bank shot from outside of the lane. And of course, he dunked on everybody. 

Shaquille O’Neal on the other hand, used his pure girth and tonnage over the rest of his opposition to get the job done. He was quick on his feet but also overpowered nearly every one of his opponents, dunking on whoever he could.

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Shaq actually leads the NBA over the past 25 years in the most points scored from the 6-7 feet range, which was obvious from his patented jump hook. 

Phil Jackson on the difference between Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. 

Having played against Wilt Chamberlain for 6 years when he was in the league as a part of the New York Knicks, Phil Jackson had a good handle on how to assess the legendary big-man.

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According to him, getting Wilt in foul trouble was the number one way to get him to slow down. As everybody knows, Chamberlain never fouled out of a game in his career, a record he was extremely proud of. So when he felt as though he was racking up fouls, he would get less aggressive, as pointed out by Jackson. 

Phil having coached Shaquille O’Neal for as long as he did, also plays a role in him knowing exactly how the 3x Finals MVP functioned, as he beautifully explained the way Shaq generated buckets on the offensive end of the floor.