Legendary coach Phil Jackson is widely remembered for his stint with the Chicago Bulls where he coached Michael Jordan. However, he has also coached the Los Angeles Lakers which had the talented duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers team was nothing less than legendary. They won three championships in a row and established themselves as one of the greatest dynasties ever.
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However, the situation in the locker room was getting more hostile as days passed. Kobe and Shaq were not getting along and Phil Jackson was also not on good terms with Lakers legend Jerry West.
Interestingly enough, Jackson even went on to kick West out of the locker room and told him to “get the f*ck out”. Talking on the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal himself gave his insights.
When Nichelle talked about the incident, it seems Shaq froze for a while as he wasn’t responding. After finally deciding to respond, the four-time NBA champion revealed his thoughts.
Shaq said, “I was on the record of saying that if Jerry is not here, I’m not gonna be here so Jerry was my guy. Jerry was the one who brought me here and I have love and respect for Jerry.” Despite his admiration for Jerry West, Shaq and Phil shared a good relationship. After all, O’Neal urged West to bring in Phil Jackson.
Shaquille O’Neal played a big part in bringing Phil Jackson to the Lakers
Phil Jackson had a successful stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. He led them to three NBA titles and established a dynasty consisting of talented players like Shaq and Kobe.
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Interestingly enough, O’Neal played a huge role in bringing the former Chicago Bulls coach to the Lakers. Talking during an interview, Shaq said, “So when he left the Bulls, I told Jerry West, ‘Just get him in here.’ This is Jerry, ‘Well, we don’t want to run the triangle.’ I said just bring him in.“
It turned out to be a good decision to bring Jackson to the Lakers. Three out of the four NBA titles Shaq has come under Phil Jackson which shows how important he was to Shaq’s career.
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What is your favorite memory of Shaquille O’Neal? Let us know in the comments down below.