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Phil Jackson Writes Extraordinary Piece About Shaquille O’Neal

By Maxwell Ogden

Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson wrote an extraordinary article about soon-to-be inducted Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.

The time has finally come for Shaquille O’Neal to be immortalized as a member of the Hall of Fame. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the coach who helped O’Neal achieve his greatest success, Phil Jackson, has voiced his opinion on the matter.

In a beautiful article published on The Player’s Tribune, Jackson pulled back the curtain to reveal the unique relationship between he and O’Neal.

O’Neal played for Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004. Prior to Jackson’s arrival, The Big Aristotle was a physically dominant player with gaudy statistics and little to show for his all-time potential.

In the article published on The Player’s Tribune, Jackson revealed the way he brilliantly motivated O’Neal to push himself to achieving greatness.

"In the first week of the 1999–2000 season, I stopped [Shaq] coming off the floor during a timeout and asked him: “What do you think was Wilt’s greatest accomplishment?” He quickly and confidently replied: “Averaging 50 points and 30 rebounds a game.”I shook my head.“Nope, he averaged over 48 minutes a game. Do you think you could do that?”Walking out of the timeout huddle, he looked back at me.“He could do it. So can I.”"

That’s where things get interesting.

"So I played him 48 minutes a game until he called uncle, which wasn’t that many games into November. But he didn’t want to come to my office to tell me, so he sent John Sally as his spokesperson. I was glad to comply, as I didn’t expect this experiment to last the whole year. That wasn’t the point. We never spoke another word about it. It did, however, get him in great condition. By season’s end, he was the MVP."

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why they call him The Zen Master.

O’Neal was the easy selection for 1999-2000 NBA MVP. He averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.0 blocks on 57.4 percent shooting from the field.

If you’re blown away by those statistics, then you’re feeling the right way.

To date, O’Neal is one of two players in NBA history to average at least 29.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks. The only other player to achieve the feat was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974-75.

Beyond the statistics, 1999-2000 was the year that O’Neal truly solidified his place in history.

O’Neal led the Lakers to the 2000 NBA championship—the organization’s first of the post-Magic Johnson era. He set career postseason highs with averages of 30.7 points and 15.4 rebounds as Los Angeles powered its way to the title.

That includes averages of 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks during the 2000 NBA Finals.

As of 2016, O’Neal is the last player to win NBA MVP, Finals MVP, and All-Star Game MVP in the same season.

As for Jackson, that was his seventh of 11 championships. He, O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant would proceed to add two more titles to the tally for a three-peat, thus bringing Jackson’s tally to nine and O’Neal’s to three.

O’Neal would win a fourth ring with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, while Jackson and Bryant would win two more in Los Angeles.

must read: Busting the myths about Jeff Hornacek

Do yourself a favor and read the full article. It’s must-read material.

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