Despite $120 Million Status, Phil Jackson Made Shaquille O?Neal Do a House Chore Only to Embarrass Him and Teach a Lesson

Shaquille O’Neal debuted in the NBA in 1992 but got his hands on the championship for the first time in 2000 when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers under the guidance of Phil Jackson. He further won two more titles under Jackson’s guidance. However, Shaq might not have won any titles if he didn’t meet Jackson. The veteran coach played a huge role in his life to guide him in the right direction. Recently, Shaq revealed a story about how Jackson taught him a lesson by letting him do a basic house chore, which ultimately resulted in his betterment.

Shaquille O’Neal’s docuseries ‘SHAQ‘ came out on Nov 23. The documentary revealed many intriguing stories about Shaq to the public that many were unaware of prior to the release. From revealing how he experienced a rough childhood to taming his anger as a teenager, the Diesel dived deeper into many stories of his life. However, Jackson’s story of teaching him a lesson stood out among many such incidents.

Phil Jackson taught Shaquille O’Neal a lesson

Shaquille O’Neal joined the Lakers in 1996 with a staggering salary of $120 million for a seven-year deal. But would anyone believe that a player worth $120 million carried a log for his coach’s house as a chore? Yes. Shaquille O’Neal had to do it. In fact, he opened up on the matter in his docuseries.

Shaq revealed that on meeting Jackson for the first time in Montana, the then Lakers coach instructed him to take a log from the backyard of his house and move it to a nearby lake. The Lakers legend understood that it was a test and silently obliged. “Push the log, swim. I did it. No problem. Dried off. didn’t complain,” revealed the four-time NBA champion. The completion of the task impressed Jackson.

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Thereafter, Shaq proposed to Jackson, ?I want to be known as one of the greats.? Jackson instantaneously replied, ?If you listen to me, you?ll get MVP, the regular season, MVP of the All-Star game and you?ll get finals MVP.” He further advised him, ?No more rapping, limit your commercials, and no more parties or hanging out.”

The Big Aristotle agreed immediately. And the rest is history. Therefore, Jackson’s strict behavior was undoubtedly another reason behind Shaquille O’Neal thriving on the court for the Lakers. Jackson wanted to test Shaq’s character using his task designed to embarrass him. But instead, the Hall-of-Famer center passed his coach’s test with flying colors.

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What do you think about this story of Shaquille O’Neal? Could ever imagine Shaq doing this type of work for anyone else? Please let us know in the comments below.