Shaquille O’ Neal pays tribute to former legendary Laker’s coach via ‘tweet’ on his 76th birthday, the two have won multiple championships together
Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson won three titles together with the LA Lakers. O'Neal tweeted a picture of a Phil Jackson quote for the latter's birthday. The quote cited teamwork as the reason for a team's success. O’Neal commented on the quote:
“How to make the dream work.”
This tweet shows that O’Neal can separate business from personal. He maintained a relationship with Jackson after leaving the Lakers in 2004. O'Neal demanded a trade following his deteriorating relationship with Kobe Bryant.
How to make the dream work. https://t.co/fktodLrZRu
O'Neal had played for the Lakers from 1996 to 2004. Phil Jackson coached the team from 1999 to 2004, helping accumulate another three-peat across his career.
Shaq, Phil Jackson, and the Lakers' dynasty in the early 2000s
Shaq and Kobe Bryant were an unstoppable duo that won three straight titles for the LA Lakers from 2000-2002. The media frequently lauds the notorious duo is for the success they brought Los Angeles. However, Jackson sometimes doesn't get the same amount of credit.
Jackson had already collected two three-peats during his tenure for Chicago when he became the coach in LA. He led Michael Jordan and the Bulls to titles in 1991-93 and 1996-99. Jackson coached the Lakers to their three-peat in 2000-2002.
So, in the span of 12 seasons, Phil Jackson coached the champs for nine of them. Leaving the Bulls to find immediate success in Los Angeles is a feat unmatched. Few coaches achieve postseason success with more than one team.
Jackson's first stint in LA featured a 287-123 record. The team made four Finals appearances. Their only Finals loss came to the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
O'Neal averaged 27.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 blocks in that span. He won the MVP award in 2000. O'Neal won the Finals MVP for each of their titles together.
Kobe Bryant averaged 26.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists during Jackson's first stint with LA. While Shaq and Jackson left following the 2004 loss, Kobe stayed. In 2005-06, Jackson returned. This time, he coached the team to a 323-169 record. He remained with the team until the end of the 2010-11 season.
The Lakers won two more titles with Jackson at the helm, but Bryant became the main piece. Bryant became league MVP in 2008 and the Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010.
While Shaq found success in Miami, fans will always wonder what could have been if he had remained in LA with Jackson and Bryant.