Shaquille O’Neal is a straight talker. He can, however, also make comments in jest, which blurs the line between fact and fiction. Despite retiring, he keeps on being in the limelight. Having played for Phil Jackson, the former Los Angeles Lakers center knows top-level coaching intimately, with his inputs holding sway. Shaq recently weighed in on head coaches that got fired as high-rated squads got eliminated earlier than expected.

On his podcast “The Big Podcast”, Diesel was joined by co-hosts Nischelle Turner and former 49ers defensive tackle Anthony “Spice” Adams.

Shaquille O’Neal wants to see a shift in the head coaching scene

The Big Fella surely loves his fair share of jokes, but he also had some serious insights to share during the podcast. The most interesting input, however, came when the 2000 MVP touched upon the subject of the firing of NBA coaches. Turner asked him about the firings of Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, and Monty Williams, the former two title-winning coaches and Williams, making it to the Finals. Further, she asked Shaq what he expects to see in the upcoming season when it comes to the head coach scene.

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Instead of showcasing any sort of sympathy for these coaches, the Big Aristotle revealed the change he wants to see in the league, advocating for younger head coaches. “The only thing that bothers me about this is it’s a lot of old blood. I like to see some fresh blood in there. What about Mark Jackson? What about Sam Cassel?” said the Lakers icon.

You want to be bringing old people, you might as well mix old people with new people. You know Sam Cassell has been an assistant coach. Like Darvin Ham, he was an assistant coach, now he is a head coach”, he further added. Being a head coach of an NBA team means a contract that can rival the salaries of some mid-tier players.

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How much money do coaches in the NBA make?

Currently, former Phoenix Suns’ HC Monty Williams, who signed a contract with Detroit Pistons, has the highest salary of $13,005,000 annually. Before Williams signed the contract, Gregg Popovich had the highest payday of $13,000,000. 

Nurse had a contract of around $8,000,000. It is not surprising that many of these head coaches earn millions, considering the value of a franchise. This is why, perhaps, Shaq once jokingly asked for $25,000,000 when the Lakers were hunting for a head coach. The astute business executive would never settle for less after all. 

Will the head coaching scene get younger next season? 

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