8 seasons and 3 titles. That too, a three-peat. That’s how magnificent Shaquille O’Neal’s tenure in Purple and Gold was. Add to the fact that he earned 3 Finals MVPs, only second in league history after Michael Jordan. But if you think there were no rough times during the Lakers’ stint, then you are wrong. And we are not talking about the fallout with Kobe Bryant. In fact, this was before the emergence of Black Mamba, and how frustration piled on Shaq, which resulted in the destruction of the locker room.

One of the reported reasons for O’Neal to jump ship from Orlando to the Lakers was championships. Before the three-peat, there were losses in the first and second rounds and even a clean sweep by the Spurs. Which is why the Big Aristotle recalled being “at the tipping point, I’m going crazy.” Being crazy led to him not shouting at his teammates but breaking things down. “So one time, I think it was our last time we got swept before Phil came in. I’m in the locker room. It’s p—– s— everywhere. I’m ripping off urinal, ripping off the doors. I’m going crazy, and somebody grabs me, and he’s pretty strong.”

Being the main man on the team, Shaquille O’Neal took those losses to heart and blamed himself. That’s why the pent-up anger — and it was the late, great Jerry West who had to intervene. The Logo gave an example of his struggles of reaching the NBA finals 9 times, but winning only once. A statement of intent followed this example. “I f—- believe in you. We going to get it done.” Being the GM, West knew changes needed to be made, and O’Neal suggested Phil Jackson’s name for the position of head coach, but convincing the Zen Master was another task altogether for the Diesel.

But Shaq’s reputation of falling out with teammates and tantrums in the locker room preceded his 7-feet-1 stature. “So then Phil f—– does something that I don’t know if he think I was going to pass his test. Because you know when you hear that this guy’s a problem, this guy’s a problem. You hear these guys are diva sometimes. You don’t want to deal with divas.” The 4x NBA champion traveled to Montana, where Jackson was staying in a log cabin. Therein, the coach had his task ready for O’Neal.

“‘I need you to do me a favor.’ And I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘You and my son need to move that log from the front to the island.'” Yes, Shaquille O’Neal had to swim across to win over the head coach. The test was in place to understand if the Lakers’ superstar was ready to take orders. Which he did. “Yes. I mean, but I know it was a test, and his son was already in the water. So I was like, ‘All right.’ I just didn’t realize how f—– cold it was. I thought I was going to die.”

Clearly, it wasn’t Phil’s first rodeo.

Phil Jackson knew about Shaquille O’Neal’s behavior and molded him into becoming a champion

Winning with the Bulls and the Zen Master already managed the different personalities like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, among others. That’s why during a previous interview, the 11x NBA champion as an HC said, “Shaq’s pretty hard-headed, there’s no doubt about it.” But Jackson knew how to mold and use Shaquille O’Neal to become a winner. “But it was pretty easy to be positive with him, because everything in this offensive system looks to get the ball in the middle…” Yes, the triangle offense led to Shaq being the centerpiece of the attack, and thus the championships and Finals MVP accolade.

But it was not just the strategies on the court that were crucial for development. In his interview with Forbes, O’Neal reflected on how the head tactician’s lessons played a pivotal role, enabling him to use a positive mindset rather than panicking while making big financial decisions. “He always taught us to think positive and to see a maximization of your potential…He always talked about facing the moment of truth, and when you face the moment of truth, then you act,” the Hall of Famer concluded.

The result of this positive reinforcement is for everyone to see. Shaquille O’Neal averaged 35.9 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 15 games in the NBA Finals between the 1999-00 and 2001-02 seasons. That’s why he gave credit to Jerry West for first understanding what Shaq was going through. And then Phil Jackson for making sure that O’Neal channeled his rage, which translated into winning basketball.