During an interview on the Graham Bensinger Podcast in 2015, Shaquille O’Neal disclosed that his former LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson had advised him to steer clear of movie and rap ventures. This directive came despite O’Neal’s successful forays into Hollywood. He also had six NBA championship wins alongside Jackson, similar to Michael Jordan’s achievements with the Bulls. Interestingly, Jackson and his coaching staff never expressed any concerns about Jordan’s involvement in the film industry. According to “Michael Jordan: The Life,” Phil Jackson had no issue with Jordan’s participation in the 1996 movie “Space Jam.” The film went on to earn a staggering $250 million. Jackson’s assistant, Tex Winter, revealed that the coaching staff had confidence in Jordan’s ability to manage his off-court pursuits. However, this was not the case for Shaquille O’Neal.
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There was contrasting treatment of superstar athletes Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan by the coaching staff. While O’Neal was told to focus solely on basketball, Jordan was allowed to pursue his Hollywood commitments.
Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan went through different experiences under Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson is undeniably one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. However, it is indeed peculiar that he did not encounter any issues when Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman of the Chicago Bulls were filming “Space Jam.” This endeavor potentially disrupted their basketball commitments.
Despite being Jackson’s first experience coaching a star-studded team, the lack of concern or interference with their duties at the Bulls is intriguing. This highlights the contrasting approach and tolerance exhibited by Jackson during the filming of “Space Jam.” This is compared to other instances where athletes were discouraged from pursuing non-basketball endeavors.
“Likewise, Jordan needed to retool both his mindset and his workouts, in order to replace what Reinsdorf called his ‘baseball body’ with a leaner basketball body. Jordan was scheduled to spend the summer months in Hollywood making the animated Bugs Bunny film Space Jam with Warner Bros. Surprisingly, the Bulls’ coaches weren’t worried about their main player spreading himself too thin in this new age of vulnerability.”
They continued:
“We didn’t worry about Michael,” Winter said. “We figured Michael could take care of himself.”
On the other hand, Shaquille O’Neal was asked to cut down on his Hollywood activities. O’Neal revealed the following about his start to life under Phil Jackson in 2015:
“He’s like, ‘Listen, you’re doing good, but no more rapping, no more videos, no more movies. I need you to concentrate.’ I’m like, ‘Why? I make a lot of money doing it. Why would I stop doing that?’ He said, ‘If you listen to me, you can win MVP this year, and we can win a championship.’”
There was quite a big difference in how the two superstars were treated by Jackson and his coaching staff.
Phil Jackson was an excellent man-manager right from the beginning of his coaching career
It is possible that Phil Jackson’s differing approach toward Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal was intentional and based on their individual characteristics and needs. Jordan was known for his unwavering motivation and commitment to excellence, making it unnecessary for Jackson to intervene or restrict his off-court pursuits.
In contrast, Shaq’s drive and dedication had been the subject of scrutiny, even by his former teammate Kobe Bryant. Therefore, Jackson’s specific instructions to O’Neal may reflect his understanding of the player’s mindset and the need to prioritize his basketball career. While the discrepancy in treatment may seem unfair to Shaq, it also highlights Jackson’s adeptness in handling and motivating his players according to their unique personalities and circumstances.
Indeed, it is worth noting that Michael Jordan didn’t pursue a significant acting career. Shaquille O’Neal, however, had numerous commitments. He also boasts a substantial list of acting credits on his IMDb page, currently amounting to 75.
