When discussing the greatest coaches in NBA history, two names that always come up are Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. Jackson was the first coach to win three consecutive championships, while Riley holds the NBA record for most Coach of the Month honors with 11. But according to the Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, Jackson’s style of leadership has an edge over Riley’s.
Having played under both coaches—Jackson with the Lakers and Riley with the Miami Heat—Shaq is in a unique position to compare their approaches. On a recent episode of The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, O’Neal broke down why he believes Jackson’s style was more effective.
“I actually did my dissertation on this duality of leadership styles between humor and seriousness,” Shaq began. “Pat was serious. All the way serious. And what I realized when I was doing my research is, you can’t be 100% one way.”
He continued, “So I’m going to give Pat 90/10—90% serious and 10% humorous. Phil Jackson was probably about 70/30, 70% humorous and 30% serious. Both styles can be effective, but I think in the long run, if you have a little bit more humor, you can get more done.”
Head Coach Pat Riley of the Miami Heat chats with Shaquille O’Neal #32 during a break. Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images
Shaq added, “Pat was serious. After that first year we won, as I was celebrating, he was sitting there not letting us out early, saying, ‘You better get back here and get to the gym.’”
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NBA News: Timberwolves" Rudy Gobert fires back at Shaq after his harsh criticisms
Shaq explains feud with Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert
During an episode of The Big Podcast, Shaq addressed his recent comments about Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, clarifying that it’s not personal but rather rooted in frustration over the pay disparity between modern players and past legends.
“When I made the comments about Rudy Gobert, people think it’s personal,” O’Neal explained. “But yeah, it’s personal for guys like David Robinson, who only made $116 million in his career. Fabulous player, Hall of Famer. Kareem? The most he ever made was $3 million. Patrick Ewing? $112 million. Bill Russell? $100,000. Just play hard. You’re making $250 million. That’s all I’m saying.”
Shaq went on to say that while his comments may seem harsh, his goal is to motivate Gobert. “For example, with Rudy Gobert, y’all think it’s personal,” Shaq said. “I’m just trying to pump him up. But from the way he responds, I can tell there’s some truth in what I’m saying.”
