"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

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"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 originally appeared on Basketball Network.
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.