"He gave me the blueprint on how to be a champion" - Shaquille O'Neal pays an ode to Phil Jackson after he is named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history
Shaquille O'Neal won three of his four NBA championships with the LA Lakers under head coach Phil Jackson. O'Neal had nothing but praise for his former coach after Jackson was named one of the 15 greatest head coaches in league history.
During the NBA on TNT's Pregame Show last Tuesday, O'Neal discussed Jackson's influence on him while he was a member of the Lakers. The 11-time NBA champion head coach was honored by the league by being named one of the greatest ever.
"Phil was the one who gave me the blueprint on how to be more dominant than I already was. He gave me the blueprint on how to be a champion. What I loved about Phil was he was a player’s coach. From being with him, I made up the famous quote, 'If the general doesn’t panic, the troops don’t panic,'" Shaq said.
"He... gave me the blueprint on how to be a champion."
@SHAQ reflects on playing for Phil Jackson after he was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history. https://t.co/IniHMfuTk8
In his first season as the head coach of the LA Lakers in 2000, Phil Jackson helped Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant lead the team to an NBA championship. Jackson coached O'Neal for four more seasons, winning an NBA title two more times and reaching the NBA Finals in 2004. O'Neal also won league MVP in 2000.
Shaquille O'Neal revealed in an interview on The Rich Eisen Show in 2020 that he pushed for the signing of Jackson back in 1999. He added that he went directly to then-Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss to convince him to try to sign Phil.
"Kobe and I were still looking for somebody to get us to the next level. So, when he was not having a good time (in Chicago), I went to Mr. Buss and said this is who we need," Shaq said.
The great @SHAQ talked #TheLastDance finale with us and how he got Phil Jackson to come coach the #LakeShow in 1999-'00: https://t.co/lT8zarLj9H
Shaquille O'Neal played under five of the 15 greatest head coaches in NBA history
In addition to Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal played for four more head coaches that are part of the NBA's Top 15 head coaches of all time. These were Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Pat Riley and Doc Rivers.
O'Neal played under Don Nelson as part of Team USA that won gold in the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Canada. He then played for the 1996 Dream Team that won Olympic gold in Atlanta and was coached by Wilkens.
The 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History! #NBA75 https://t.co/4f9SGm0iCG
The Hall of Fame center then won his fourth NBA title with the Miami Heat, under the leadership of Pat Riley. Finally, O'Neal was able to play for Doc Rivers as part of the Boston Celtics during his final NBA season in 2011. It should also be noted that when Shaq played for the Phoenix Suns in the 2009-10 season, current Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was the general manager.
In addition to the six legendary coaches mentioned above, the remaining members of the top 15 are Red Auerbach, Larry Brown, Chuck Daly, Red Holzman, K.C. Jones, Gregg Popovich, Jack Ramsay, Jerry Sloan and Erik Spoelstra.