With a combined total of 11 professional championships between the two of them, Tom Brady and Shaquille O’Neal are arguably the two most recognizable names in all of American sporting history. Having dominated their respective leagues, they now reside behind the analyst desks of their respective networks, occasionally appearing in advertising sports and headlines of brand deals.
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There’s something else that they both have in common though, that being the fact that they were both guided by a pair of equally historic coaches in Bill Belichick and Phil Jackson. And when the two of them sat down for a discussion on The Big Podcast, they couldn’t help but to compare their experiences.
“I don’t know how your relationship with Belichick was,” O’Neal prefaced towards Brady. “But the only reason why I respected Phil was because I knew he was a winner. None of my coaches, if they didn’t win, I don’t think I can trust you.”
According to Brady, there can be no underselling of the importance there is for a coach to demand greatness. “Part of being a real grownup in life is telling people what they are doing isn’t good enough… You have to learn to develop that skill.”
O’Neal had the benefit of hindsight; he had watched Jackson derive greatness from Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls well before he made it to Los Angeles. Brady, however, didn’t have that, hence why he himself is often referred to as the ‘Michael Jordan of the NFL.’
In building the New England Patriots’ dynasty with Belichick throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Brady discovered that it’s best if “the coach separates himself from the players, because you’ve got to make hard decisions.” Thankfully, he was able to trust Belichick with those hard decisions, and the end result was a legacy similar to the one that Jackson acquired prior to O’Neal’s arrival.
The NBA legend then took the time to admit that “I’ve been a Tom Brady fan my whole life, ever since I started watching football,” and was sure to let the seven-time Super Bowl winner know that he is in fact “amazing.” Naturally, a smile emerged across Brady’s face throughout the complement.
The former Patriot was then asked if he would be ready to go if an NFL team called him today, and despite his 48 years of age, he confidently asserted that “I would whoop a*s right now, to be honest… Give me a month, and I could go play with anybody.”
Seeing as the Indianapolis Colts just rolled out a 44-year-old Philip Rivers in Week 15, it may not be too far fetched of an idea to see Brady out on the field once again, but given his status as both a broadcaster and an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s likely that he’ll leave his jersey up in the rafters with O’Neal and the rest of their fellow legends.
