How Phil Jackson helped Shaq become an MVP and NBA Champion
Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal are two of the most accomplished figures in NBA History.
- Phil Jackson is a 13x NBA champion (11 as a coach, 2 as a player), 1155 coaching wins, and one of the greatest coaches of all time.
- Shaq is a 4x NBA champion, 15x All-Star, 3x MVP and one of the most dominant players all of all time.
However, Shaq explained in an interview that Phil Jackson showed Young Shaq how to win.
What Phil Said
Previously, Shaq dropped 6 albums and was in multiple different movies and TV shows all before 1999. Shaq was balancing his music career and basketball career all throughout the 90s.
Little did Shaq know, Phil was hired to coach the Lakers in 1999. Shaq already respected Phil before he joined the Lakers because he won 6 rings with Jordan. However, when they first met, Phil told Shaq to stop making Rap Albums and limit his commercials if he wanted to be MVP of the league.
“He brought a resume. If he says, ‘Do this,’ we all know that he knows what he’s talking about. Because every summer when we’d lose, we’d watch him in the Finals. … When I first met him, he said, ‘Look, if you listen to me, you’ll be MVP. You listen to me, you will win a championship.’ And I said, ‘Cool.’ First thing he said, ‘No more albums, limit your commercials and do everything I say.’ And I agreed, and it was probably the best years that I played. Once we had that formula of how to win, we were just thirsty for more.”
The Result
Shaq did exactly what Phil told him to do – he stopped making music and limited his commercials.
By the end of the 1999-2000 season, Shaquille O’Neal averaged 29.7ppg, 13.6rpg, and won the NBA Regular Season and Finals MVP. He also won his first NBA championship ring after 8 seasons in the NBA.
That did not stop there. The Lakers, led by Shaq and Kobe, ended up winning 3 straight NBA championships, becoming the first team to 3 peat since the 1998 Chicago Bulls, led by none other than Phil “The Zen Master” Jackson and Michael Jordan.
Phil’s influence made Shaq one of the most powerful and dominant players to ever play. Shaq continued his NBA journey with 4 other teams winning 1 more championship with the Miami Heat before he retired in 2011.
End Quote
One of the best Shaq quotes on Phil Jackson:
“Phil took us to the finals three out of the five years and you want to fire him and want to bring in Mike Krzyzewski? Come on, man. That’s like being married to J-Lo, then dropping J-Lo for a girl that’s 5-10, 480 pounds.”
Let’s just say if Shaq is comparing Phil to J-Lo, he had the ultimate respect for Phil.
