“Oldhead..Too Big for His Britches”: 22 Years After Lakers Locker Room Incident, Former NBA Champion Drags Jeanie Buss to Make a Point About Phil Jackson

While Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were the poster boys during the Los Angeles Lakers iconic 3-peat, head coach Phil Jackson can be credited for turning the fortunes of the franchise around. The ‘Zenmaster’ has joined the Lakers after leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships in 8 years. As soon as he arrived in LA, he turned the Lakers into championship favorites for years to come. However, he couldn’t satisfy everyone who became part of the Lakers during that run. Despite winning a championship in 2001, Isaiah Rider Jr. doesn’t have fond memories of his time in LA.

During his appearance on Kevin Garnett’s ‘KG Certified‘, Rider revealed the details of his falling out with Jackson. As soon as he arrived in LA, he didn’t feel at home. “I’m like ‘what did I do? I should have went to Miami.’ This is the worst decision ever,” Rider said. However, as he wasn’t an unhappy camper, Rider continued to go with the flow. But everything changed when Jackson tried to be funny one day.

Isaiah Rider didn’t have the best relationship with Phil Jackson

Rider said, “One day he says, ‘Yeah you guys have a good day. Hopefully I don’t hear about JR being on Crenshaw.'” This left even KG surprised. Rider said that even though Jackson was trying to be funny, he didn’t appreciate it. “I don’t think none of that’s funny. Nobody in their right mind just hangs out on Crenshaw brother,” he said.

Similarly to how Jackson stained his relationship with LeBron James, Rider said, “From that moment, I looked at him different.” He continued, “He seemed like an old head who took shots to me and was on some other stuff and too big for his britches out there.”

READ MORE: “My Dream for Shaquille O’Neal Was for Him to Be the Best of All Time.. That Wasn’t His Dream”: Lakers Icon Given Brutally Honest Treatment by Ex-Trainer

He called him out for being too full of himself and spending time on beaches with the Lakers owner, Jeanie Buss. Jackson and Buss were in a relationship for 17 years and got engaged in 2013. However, they mutually decided to call it quits in 2016.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t miss Rider

While Rider had always put up good numbers before joining the Lakers, he didn’t have a stable role on the roster. He was eventually left out of the Playoffs roster in favor of Ty Lue. However, the Lakers gave him a ring for his contributions during the regular season.

Nevertheless, the Lakers didn’t miss his services during the postseason as they went on to win their second straight championship. Ahead of the next season, Rider joined the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, the Lakers won yet another championship to establish themselves as one of the greatest teams of all time.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard- All the coaches and players Shaquille O’Neal had feuds with

What are your thoughts on Rider’s comments on Jackson? Let us know in the comments.