"Shaq was pretty hard-headed, there's no doubt about it" - Phil Jackson on why Shaq may have been the toughest superstar he ever coached
Kobe Bryant wasn't the only personality Phil Jackson had to handle during his first stint with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In fact, contrary to popular belief, Kobe might not have even been the toughest to manage.
At least in Jackson's view, that distinction may have belonged to the 7'1", 325-pound centerpiece of the Lakers' early-2000s dominance, Shaquille O'Neal.
It had little to do with ego or off-court theatrics and everything to do with the constant battle of harnessing talent that was both generational and, at times, uncontainable.
Handling O'Neal
Jackson arrived in L.A. in 1999, and O'Neal was already a dominant force and a walking mismatch who had bullied his way to multiple All-NBA First Team selections. But what Jackson saw wasn't just raw talent. It was potential that still hadn't been fully shaped into a championship mold.
And that became one of his biggest coaching challenges.
"Shaq's pretty hard-headed, there's no doubt about it," Jackson said. "But it was pretty easy to be positive with him, because everything in this offensive system looks to get the ball in the middle, you are looking to find the ball in the post, that's your first priority. Get the ball inside and see the best penetration way to get the ball close to the basket. That's the goal of almost every game."
Jackson's triangle offense was tailor-made to spotlight a dominant interior player, and O'Neal became the focal point with his unmatched presence in the paint. But getting O'Neal to commit — mentally and physically — was a different kind of coaching effort.
There were days when Jackson had to balance patience with pressure, managing the rhythms of a player whose conditioning and focus could swing with the season.
What made O'Neal unique wasn't just his size. It was the finesse that lived within his power. His footwork and basketball IQ often got overshadowed by his brute force. And for Jackson, the mission was about aligning his game with the demands of a system that required discipline over dominance.
The Lakers' three-peat from 2000 to 2002 didn't happen simply because they had stars. It happened because Jackson managed to fuse superstar energy with structured philosophy.
And keeping O'Neal on the line was the thread that held the plan together. Even in moments of friction — be it with teammates, media or staff — O'Neal's role in the triangle offense remained untouchable. Everything started and ended with him on the block.An integral part
During that Lakers run, the towering Lakers big man averaged 28.5 points and 12.3 rebounds in the regular season and elevated those numbers even further in the playoffs.
In 2000, he led the league in scoring and was named MVP. But what made him invaluable was his gravity and the way defenses collapsed, shooters got open and the way the triangle system could breathe, because he occupied so much attention and minutes on the floor.
"With Shaq, it was more about getting yourself ready to play for a duration," Jackson said,
That 1999–2000 season remains the statistical high-water mark for O'Neal's endurance. Averaging 40 minutes per game over an 82-game season — and even more in the postseason — was a grind. Yet it was also a necessity.
Jackson needed him out there, anchoring both ends of the court, not just for the physical impact but for the psychological edge. When O'Neal was on the floor, the Lakers were a different team — tougher and less vulnerable.
But that also meant Jackson had to constantly monitor O'Neal's health, practice intensity, and in-game stamina. Unlike Michael Jordan, who thrived on nonstop competition, or Bryant, who lived in the gym, O'Neal required a tailored approach, one that preserved his body but sharpened his edge.
The payoff came in the form of one of the most dominant playoff stretches the league has ever seen.
In the 2000 postseason, O'Neal averaged 30.7 points and 15.4 rebounds. He had three 40-point games in the Finals alone. And yet, beneath the highlights and hardware, Jackson never forgot just how tough the process was.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Rosenthal: What I'm hearing about the Guardians' adjusted trade plans, plus more deadline notes
Here's what I'm hearing from major-league sources with less than three full days until the conclusion of the MLB trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET Thursday. The loss of closer Emmanuel Clase to non-disciplinary leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting did not simply deprive the Cleveland Guardians of their top trade chip. It ended any chance of the Guardians becoming a buyer, and likely increased the possibility of the team trading right-hander Shane Bieber and perhaps left fielder Steven Kwan. Advertisement Bieber, recovering from Tommy John surgery in April 2024, is expected to be heavily scouted Tuesday night in a rehab start at Double A. The Guardians re-signed the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner in December to a deal that pays him $10 million this season and gives him a $16 million player option for 2026 – an option Bieber, 30, might very well decline if he comes back strong. Kwan, 27, is earning $4.175 million this season, and under club control through salary arbitration for two years after that. He is drawing 'a ton' of interest, according to a club source, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres believed to be among the teams in the mix. The Guardians intend to set a high bar for their desired return. The combination of Kwan's age, additional years of control and offensive, defensive and baserunning ability make him perhaps the best position player available. He is more than six years younger than Eugenio Suárez, a rental, and his fWAR is 2.8 to Suárez's 3.0. While the Guardians' chances of signing Kwan to an extension might be slim, this will not be their last opportunity to trade him. They can try again this offseason, when they possibly could involve even more teams, as well as the next two deadlines and – if there is no lockout – the 2026-27 offseason. The Milwaukee Brewers, who acquired catcher Danny Jansen from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, are among the teams interested in the Baltimore Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn. While O'Hearn would not be a perfect fit for Milwaukee, the team could find at-bats for him at first base, in left field and at designated hitter. Christian Yelich is the Brewers' primary DH. Andrew Vaughn has filled in well at first for Rhys Hoskins, who is expected to return from a sprained left thumb in mid-to-late August. Switch-hitter Isaac Collins, one of the season's bigger surprises, has emerged as the team's primary left fielder. Advertisement The Brewers, however, entered Monday ranked 21st in slugging percentage by left-handed hitters and 23rd in home runs. O'Hearn, 32, was batting only .218 with a .648 OPS since May 27. But among the Brewers, only Yelich (19) and Jackson Chourio had exceeded his total of 12 homers. O'Hearn, a potential free agent, will be owed about $2.5 million. The Brewers also showed interest in another left-handed hitting first baseman, Josh Naylor, before the Arizona Diamondbacks sent him to the Seattle Mariners. Naylor at the time was owed nearly $4 million. Something to watch with the surging Texas Rangers: Whether they are willing to go over the luxury-tax threshold for the third consecutive season. The Rangers' estimated luxury-tax payroll, per Fangraphs, is $234.9 million. The first threshold is $241 million. As a third-time offender, the Rangers would be taxed at 50 percent for every dollar they spend over the threshold. If they stay under, their penalty rate would reset to 20 percent. Winners of six straight games and nine of 10 entering Monday night, the Rangers were still day to day in determining how aggressively they should buy. If ownership gives the front office the flexibility to exceed the threshold, the Rangers might as well go significantly past the number. It would make little season to end the season say, $1 million over. A trade of right fielder Adolis García, who will be owed approximately $3 million at the deadline, would create additional room under the threshold. The Rangers also could move a pitcher such as right-hander Jon Gray or one of their catchers, Jonah Heim or Kyle Higashioka. But such trades would be self-defeating for a team trying to reach the postseason. The Rangers want to add another right-handed hitter as well as a high-leverage reliever such as the St. Louis Cardinals' Ryan Helsley or Pittsburgh Pirates' David Bednar. Trading García would subtract a right-handed bat, and like many of the Rangers' hitters he is on the upswing. Through May 28, Garcia was batting .208 with a .626 OPS. Since then, he has been better, hitting .256 with and a .728 OPS. He also is an excellent defender, and the Rangers consider him an important part of their club. By awarding president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer a contract extension, the Chicago Cubs effectively reduced the pressure on him at the deadline, at least as far as his job security was concerned. Pittsburgh Pirates GM Ben Cherington, on the other hand, remains in limbo, and not without reason. Hoyer's team is well-positioned for a playoff berth. Cherington's is headed for a sixth straight losing season. Advertisement The question is how owner Bob Nutting will evaluate Cherington's performance at the deadline and beyond. If Nutting judges Cherington partly on how the Pirates finish, a selloff involving Bednar, Mitch Keller and others likely would make the team even less competitive, damaging the GM's standing. But if Cherington takes a passive approach, declining to leverage his ample supply of pitchers to acquire impact hitters, Nutting could fire him for a different reason – failing to put the team in better position for 2026. History suggests that treading lightly could be the wrong play. In 2019, then Pirates-GM Neal Huntington moved rentals Corey Dickerson and Jordan Lyles at the deadline but held on to several rentals and valuable veterans. The Pirates were 47-61, compared to 44-62 now. Nutting fired Huntington after that season. The situation is awkward, to say the least. Whatever path Cherington chooses, he might be doomed. The Chicago White Sox believe they would look ridiculous accepting a mid-tier prospect for a player as talented as center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Their stance is that if they don't land at least one of a trade partner's top 10 prospects for Robert, they will pick up his $20 million option. Teams' top 10 lists vary in quality, but no matter. The prospective suitors, which include the Padres, Phillies and New York Mets, evidently believe the White Sox are bluffing. With only $20.6 million committed to their 2026 payroll, the White Sox certainly could absorb Robert at his option price. But this is a player who appeared in more than 100 games only once in his first four full seasons. He currently is at 86, with 55 games remaining. So far, so good, but a player who is injured as often as Robert typically doesn't warrant a $20 million investment. And if the White Sox decline to trade Robert, who's to say he won't shut down the first time he feels a twinge after the deadline, effectively forcing their hand on the option? Advertisement The White Sox, then, are in something of a no-win position. Trade Robert for the mid-tier prospect teams are offering, and feel short-changed if he returns to the player he was in 2023. Keep him and exercise the option, and assume the risk he will again miss significant time. Keep him and decline the option, and receive nothing in return when he departs as a free agent. The best guess is that in the end, they take what they can get. Four trade candidates started on Monday, with mixed results. The Miami Marlins' Edward Cabrera was the only one to produce a quality start. The Pirates' Keller lasted only two innings. The Orioles' Zach Eflin and Athletics' JP Sears failed to complete five. Tuesday's slate of games includes two starters who could be moved – the Orioles' Charlie Morton and Washington Nationals' Mike Soroka. As of late Monday night, the Orioles' plan was to pitch Morton in their 12:35 ET start against the Toronto Blue Jays unless talks in the morning got hot. The Nationals were taking the same approach with the less coveted Soroka. Morton, 41, has a 3.80 ERA in his last 11 starts. That ERA was even lower before he allowed seven runs to the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start after the break. But he rebounded from that game to hold the Cleveland Guardians to three runs in 6 2/3 innings last Thursday. Among the Marlins in play: Right-handed reliever Anthony Bender, who is earning $1.42 million and under club control through arbitration for two additional seasons. Bender, 30, throws 45 percent sweepers, 27 percent sinkers and 22 percent sliders, according to Statcast. He entered Monday with a 1.83 ERA in 44 1/3 innings, but an expected 3.48 ERA that was nearly twice as high. His strikeout rate had dropped from 25.9 percent last season to 19.9 percent in this one. His lofty groundball rate also had dipped slightly, from 51.7 to 50.4 percent. But the San Diego Padres, among other clubs, were considering him. And finally, the New York Yankees, in doing their background work on third baseman Ryan McMahon, checked with some of his former teammates with the Colorado Rockies. One of those former teammates was the player whose release effectively created the opening for McMahon – DJ LeMahieu. The two played together in Colorado in 2017-18, and LeMahieu gave the Yankees a strong recommendation. Advertisement LeMahieu, 37, plans to wait until the trade deadline passes before signing with another team. He didn't want to join a club, and then suddenly find his spot in jeopardy if his new team acquired another player. The Athletic's Stephen J. Nesbitt contributed reporting. (Top photo of Steven Kwan:)
Associated Press
a few seconds ago
- Associated Press
Rays trade catcher Danny Jansen to his hometown Brewers for minor league infielder
NEW YORK (AP) — Veteran catcher Danny Jansen was traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to his hometown Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night for minor league infielder Jadher Areinamo. Jansen was in Tampa Bay's original lineup against the New York Yankees but was pulled about 45 minutes before the first pitch. The trade was announced shortly after the Rays ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win at Yankee Stadium. Jansen said he found out about the deal after meeting with manager Kevin Cash and president of baseball operations Erik Neander. 'I was getting ready to play the game, and I understand that side of baseball,' Jansen said. 'Just grateful for the time spent here with the guys.' The Rays signed Jansen to an $8.5 million, one-year contract on Dec. 13. He batted .204 with 11 homers and 29 RBIs in 73 games for the Rays. Jansen grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin. He is joining the NL Central leaders to serve as a backup to William Conteras, who is playing through a fractured finger. Conteras is hitting .245 with six homers and 42 RBIs in 100 games. 'I don't live too far,' Jansen said. 'That's going to be something that my wife and I had never experienced.' Jansen was moved right around the MLB trade deadline for the second straight season. Toronto dealt him to Boston on July 24, 2024, and he wound up playing for both teams in a game at Fenway Park that got suspended June 26 and resumed two months later. 'Having gone through a trade last year will probably make this process a little bit easier for me going into a team as a catcher learning pitchers and all that,' Jansen said. 'So, looking forward to the challenge and task at hand with that. I think having a little bit of experience helps.' Areinamo batted .297 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs in 94 games for Class A Wisconsin of the Midwest League and has appeared at third base, shortstop and second base. Last season, he hit .301 in 110 games for Wisconsin. The Rays are 8-18 in their last 26 games following a 25-9 stretch from May 20 to June 26. Tampa Bay is 2 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League. ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
a few seconds ago
- CBS News
Brewers beat Cubs, take top spot in NL Central
Andrew Vaughn, Sal Frelick and Christian Yelich homered and the Milwaukee Brewers overcame a shaky start from All-Star Jacob Misiorowski to beat the Chicago Cubs 8-4 on Monday night and take sole possession of first place in the NL Central. After allowing a bloop single and walk to begin the game, Misiorowski took a line shot off the bat of Seiya Suzuki to his left knee. The 23-year-old rookie struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong but threw a wild pitch in the process, allowing a run to score. Then, after fielding a dribbler in front of the mound, Misiorowski threw wildly to first as two runners scored. The Brewers stormed back with four runs off Matthew Boyd (11-4) in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Christian Yelich had an RBI double, Isaac Collins a two-run single and Brice Turang a sacrifice fly. Vaughn hit a solo homer in the fifth and Frelick hit another in the sixth to give the Brewers a 6-3 lead. After Kyle Tucker's run-scoring single in the seventh cut the margin to 6-4, Yelich hit a two-run shot to give the Brewers a four-run cushion. Misiorowski gave up three hits and three runs in four innings. He walked two and struck out seven while throwing 11 pitches of 100 mph or more. Trevor Megill got the last out with two runners on to notch his 24th save in 27 tries. As Nico Hoerner scored on Tucker's single in the seventh, Michael Busch attempted take third but was cut down by Chourio's throw to third baseman Caleb Durbin. Suzuki then struck out to end the inning, stranding Tucker at second. Jackson Chourio went 0 for 3 with two walks, ending his career-high hitting streak at 20 games for the Brewers. Cubs RHP Colin Rea (8-4, 4.06 ERA) starts on Tuesday night against Brewers RHP Quinn Priester (9-2, 3.28).
