"I'll kiss his feet on 'Fear Factor' with cheese on it": Shaquille O'Neal once dared coaches to equal Phil Jackson's 4 NBA Finals in 5 years
After the LA Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, both Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson were gone from the team that summer.
O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, while Jackson was released after his contract expired. Shaq went on to dare coaches around the league to accomplish what Jackson did in the last five seasons, and he would do something out of "Fear Factor."
In an interview with ESPN right after getting dealt to the Heat, O'Neal discussed his departure from the Lakers. He also acknowledged his relationship with Jackson, who took the franchise to four NBA Finals in five seasons, challenged every coach in the league to repeat the feat.
"I love that guy to death," Shaq said. "Yes, we had arguments. Yes, we had quarrels, but I love that guy to death.
"Phil Jackson took us to four Finals out of five years. In the next five years, if a coach takes a team to the Finals four out of five years, I'll kiss his feet on 'Fear Factor' with cheese on it."
No coach has come close to matching Phil Jackson's feat, so Shaquille O'Neal hasn't had to kiss anyone's feet with cheese on it. Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers had two NBA Finals appearances from 2005 to 2010.
Jackson did get back into coaching the LA Lakers in 2005 and led the franchise to three straight NBA Finals from 2008 to 2010. The Lakers won two NBA championships in that span, beating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and the Boston Celtics in 2010.
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Shaquille O'Neal compares Deion Sanders with Phil Jackson
Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes is the talk of the college football season. Shaquille O'Neal is a huge fan of Sanders, who he once touted as the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
In an interview with TMZ Sports last week, O'Neal compared Sanders with Phil Jackson. With Colorado down against rivals Colorado State, Sanders helped his players rally to win in overtime.
"When they were down 15, there was a camera that panned to Deion's face, and it reminded me of Phil Jackson," O'Neal said. "And I've always said, if the general doesn't panic, the troops don't panic."
Shaq added:
"Me and Kobe (Bryant), we got swept all the time. But when he came there and stepped in the locker room and we saw he didn't panic, so it taught us not to panic. We know that this guy knows what he's talking about."
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