On the Court With... Shaquille O'Neal

by Matt Christopher

  It was time for a change. On July 18, 1996, he signed a seven-year contract with the Lakers worth $121 million.

  Although Shaquille knew that he would be expected to win a championship in Los Angeles, he also knew that it might take some time. In recent years, the Lakers had become known as a talented team that just couldn't play together. They would have to rebuild, and although O'Neal was a key part of that rebuilding process, he wasn't the only part.

  In the draft that year, the Lakers had gambled. Instead of selecting a mature college player who could help them win right away, they had selected a player right out of high school, Kobe Bryant. Bryant's father had played in the NBA, and even though Kobe was mature beyond his years, he was still only seventeen years old. Many people expected him to be a star one day, but for the time being he had a lot to learn, not only about basketball but about life in the NBA.

  That was one area in which O'Neal could help him out. Bryant lived with his family in LA, but he was on his own on the road. O'Neal took him under his wing and helped him stay out of trouble. Many young NBA players get into trouble with drugs, women, or other distractions. O'Neal, despite his fame and fortune, didn't like partying the way so many other pro players did. When Bryant was with O'Neal, the Lakers knew he wouldn't get into trouble.

  While the Lakers were an improved team with O'Neal, they still weren't championship material. Like the players on the Magic, the Lakers sometimes seemed to be competing with one another for the right to shoot the ball. They'd play great for a week or two, then start getting selfish and fall apart.

  Head coach Del Harris seemed powerless to keep them on track. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that in the fourth quarter of close games, the opposing teams kept fouling O'Neal to send him to the free throw line. He was almost certain to miss, which gave the ball back to the other team. Shaquille's teammates soon stopped passing him the ball late in the game.

  One other problem plagued the Lakers. They were trying to win and rebuild at the same time, a difficult task. Coach Harris tried to play Kobe Bryant as much as possible, even though he wasn't quite ready to contribute, so the rookie could gain experience. Some of the veteran players on the team were upset when Bryant's playing time cut into their own minutes on the court.

  Nevertheless, the presence of O'Neal made the Lakers a much better team than in recent seasons. They finished second to Seattle in the Pacific Division with a record of 56–26, then blew past Portland in the first round of the playoffs.

  But in the second round they faced Utah. Paced by point guard John Stockton and power forward Karl Malone, the Jazz were a tough, experienced team that played smart. Although they didn't stop Shaquille, they were able to slow him down, getting him in foul trouble or to the foul line late in the games. The Lakers dropped the first two games before winning the next two. But in Game Five O'Neal fouled out and in overtime Kobe Bryant kept shooting and missing. The Jazz defeated the Lakers and ended their season.

  It was much the same story in the 1997–98 season. The Lakers raced through the regular season, winning 61 games, then stumbled again in the playoffs against Utah in the conference finals. Then, in 1998–99, the season started late because of a labor disagreement between the players and owners. When the season finally got under way in January, the Lakers were a mess. To make room for Kobe Bryant, they had traded guard Nick Van Exel and several other players, leaving them without much depth. Most players began the strike-abbreviated season out of shape. In the first weeks, the Lakers struggled. Coach Harris was fired and replaced by former player Kurt Rambis.

  The team was caught between the past and the future. The Lakers desperately wanted to get Kobe Bryant playing time, which angered many veterans who felt the emerging young star shot too much and played too much one-on-one basketball. Even O'Neal began to have problems with Bryant. He didn't think the Lakers could become a championship team unless they all worked together. Instead, the team was coming apart.

  Despite all their troubles, the Lakers still qualified for the playoffs. In the first round it looked as if they might have learned how to play together. They defeated the Rockets in four games. Bryant and O'Neal both seemed to learn how best to take advantage of each other's skills. Bryant stopped looking to shoot every time he got the ball and instead passed inside to O'Neal whenever he had the opportunity. O'Neal, meanwhile, kept feeding the ball to Bryant to key fast breaks. The Lakers looked almost unstoppable.

  But their success was just an illusion. They met the San Antonio Spurs in the second round and the Spurs, paced by Twin Towers David Robinson and Tim Duncan, were a much better team than the Rockets. The two big men were able to keep O'Neal in check, and the other Lakers responded by getting overanxious and playing one-on-one. The Spurs swept the Lakers and ended their season. Although O'Neal was disappointed with the loss, he was almost glad the season was over. He was just as frustrated playing for the Lakers as he had been with the Magic.

  His personal statistics were still impressive, yet none of his teams had won a championship. Everyone was whispering that O'Neal choked in big games. After all, in the past seven seasons, O'Neal's team had ended the playoffs by being swept five times.

  For his part, O'Neal was getting tired of hearing that the only trophy he could win was a broom.

  Chapter Six: 1999–2000

  Champions

  For years, people had expected great things from Shaquille O'Neal. But the person who expected the most was Shaq himself. He wanted to win so badly and expected so much of himself that when his team failed to win a championship, he took it personally. He allowed the comments of critics, who said that he was incapable of leading his team to the ultimate victory, to affect his game — which, of course, affected how his team played.

  But after being bumped from the playoffs by the Spurs, O'Neal had a long conversation with Laker general manager Jerry West. West was one of the greatest players in NBA history, a great shooting guard who could drive to the basket and was known as one of the game's greatest clutch performers. West told O'Neal something that surprised him. “You know,” he said, “I played in the finals nine times before I ever won.”

  That made O'Neal stop and think. Even a great player like Jerry West had to wait a long time before winning a championship. But he never gave up. And West wasn't the only one. Wilt Chamberlain played nearly a decade before winning a championship. Michael Jordan didn't win his first championship until his seventh NBA season. And when Jordan was younger, many people had criticized him the same way they were now criticizing O'Neal. Perhaps, he thought, my time is about to come.

  Shaq's self-doubts were just one problem the Lakers had before the start of the 1999–2000 season. Another was that the players hadn't respected either Del Harris or Kurt Rambis. Neither had ever coached a championship team, and they had a difficult time getting the Lakers to follow their instructions. O'Neal told West and other LA team officials that the Lakers needed a new coach, someone tough whom they could respect.

  Laker management felt the same way. They fired Rambis and hired the best available coach, Phil Jackson. A former player himself, Jackson had been a role player with the New York Knicks when they won a championship in 1971. He'd taken over as coach of the Chicago Bulls and helped them win several titles. He knew what it was like to win as both a player and a coach. His record commanded respect.

  At the same time, Jackson was a unique person. He studied philosophy and Native American religions and used what he learned to help coach his players. O'Neal soon started calling him his “great White Father.” Something in Jackson's approach reminded him of Phil Harrison, who always made his expectations clear.

  As soon as Jackson was hired, he told everyone on the team exactly what he expected. His offense, which is known as the Triangle, is designed to isolate a player one-on-one, yet at the same time react to the defense to make sure there are options in case the player is covered. Although the system is complicated, once players learn it, it leads to a wide-open, q
uick-paced scheme that gets every player involved. For O'Neal, it meant that when he was covered, there was always a player moving into position to take a pass.

  At an early meeting with the team, Jackson made it clear that he considered the Lakers Shaquille's team — their success would depend on him. Kobe Bryant, however, would run the team on the court. But Jackson himself would be the leader. He went right down the Laker lineup, telling each player exactly what he expected of him and said that if anyone didn't like it, he would make sure that player was traded elsewhere.

  O'Neal looked at his teammates and saw that they believed in Jackson. So did he. He was thrilled with this approach.

  In training camp the Lakers worked hard to put Jackson's offense and philosophy into practice. Bryant, who was improving rapidly, thrived in his new role, in which he could set the tempo of the game and make sure everyone was involved. O'Neal was also happy. The Triangle led to a great deal of passing and movement, and Shag discovered that when he got the ball, he was often wide-open.

  The Lakers opened the season with a flourish, winning often and easily even though Kobe Bryant missed several weeks with an injury. When Bryant returned, the Lakers were even better, at one point winning sixteen consecutive games. The selfish play that had previously hampered the Lakers was a thing of the past. They were surprised to discover that since everyone was so happy with the team's offense, they all worked harder on defense than ever before. In recent years the Lakers hadn't been considered a very good defensive team. Now they played defense because they could hardly wait to get the ball back.

  All of Shaquille's numbers went up dramatically —scoring, rebounds, and blocked shots. He was playing the best basketball of his career. In fact, the Lakers reminded their fans of the Lakers of the 1980s, when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the team with a style of basketball known as Showtime.

  The Lakers stormed through the regular season, going 67–15, the best record in the league. That was important, for it gave them the home court advantage all the way through the playoffs, even the finals, if they made it that far. That was an important advantage.

  Many people wondered how O'Neal would perform in the playoffs. He answered their questions very quickly.

  The Lakers raced through their first three opponents, dumping the Sacramento Kings in five games, the Phoenix Suns in five, and the Portland Trail Blazers in a hard-fought, seven-game conference championship set to reach the finals. Shaquille was dominating the game from down low while Kobe Bryant ran the team to perfection. In the finals they would face the Indiana Pacers.

  Indiana coach Larry Bird had done for the Pacers what Jackson had done for the Lakers. Bird had been a tremendous player for the Boston Celtics, known for his great shooting, clutch play, and never-say-die attitude. Like the Lakers, the Pacers had always been a talented team that couldn't seem to put it together. But Bird had gotten them to play together. They were as hungry for a title as the Lakers were.

  But they didn't have an answer for Shaquille O'Neal. From the very beginning of the first game, the Lakers realized that no one on Indiana could stop O'Neal. Even though center Rik Smits stood seven feet four inches, O'Neal was too strong for him. Kobe Bryant kept working the ball inside —O'Neal put on a clinic, hitting dunks, jump shots, and hooks at will. At the end of the first quarter he already had 15 points and 5 rebounds. Although the Pacers played hard and nearly got back into the game in the third quarter, O'Neal stopped the rally at the beginning of the fourth quarter, dishing the ball off twice for two assists. He left the game to a standing ovation with over two minutes left to play, and 43 points and 19 rebounds to his credit. The Lakers won, 104–87.

  “I just got the ball in deep and took high-percentage shots,” said O'Neal after the game. “If those shots are falling, we're going to be a tough team to beat.”

  “When he gets in that kind of groove, you've got to get the ball to him,” echoed Bryant. Added teammate Rick Fox, “That was the big fella. We've been riding his back all year.”

  But in Game Two Bryant sprained his ankle in the first quarter. Although the rest of the Lakers played tough and entered the fourth quarter with a slim lead, it was still anybody's ball game.

  The Pacers decided to make O'Neal beat them. They began fouling him at every opportunity.

  Coach Jackson wasn't afraid of O'Neal's poor foul shooting. Although he knew Shag struggled at the line, Jackson had also noticed that his center rarely missed a shot when he really needed to make one. When the Lakers changed their offense to keep O'Neal from the line, the team played poorly. Jackson kept telling them to believe in the offense.

  Time and time again in the fourth quarter, the Pacers fouled O'Neal. With the score 99–96 in favor of the Lakers, LA had the ball. If they could score, it would put the game on ice.

  As the Pacer defense scrambled to cover everyone, the ball went to O'Neal down low. A Pacer player raced over to foul him.

  But O'Neal was prepared. Just as the player left his feet to slap into his arms, O'Neal calmly flicked a pass back outside to teammate Robert Horry. Horry dropped in the shot and the Lakers went on to win, 111–104.

  Playing without Bryant in Game Three, the Lakers lost in Indiana, 100–91. Game Four would be the key. If the Pacers tied the series, anything could happen.

  Early on, O'Neal was magnificent. He even hit 10 of 17 free throws! Kobe Bryant had added his own talents — despite the fact that he had not yet recovered from his injury. But the Pacers were no pushovers. When O'Neal missed a short jumper at the buzzer, the game went into overtime.

  Once again, O'Neal led the Lakers, scoring several baskets to open up a lead. Then he was called for his sixth foul. The Lakers would have to win without him.

  As he walked off the court he looked at Kobe Bryant. Bryant gave him a wink and said, “Don't worry about it, I've got it.”

  He did. With O'Neal serving as the world's biggest and loudest cheerleader, Bryant took over. He nailed three baskets down the stretch and the Lakers won, 120–118, to move to within one game of the championship.

  Then the Lakers had an off day. Shaquille scored 35 points but didn't get much help, and Indiana rolled to a 120–87 win. But now the remainder of the series would be played in Los Angeles.

  O'Neal would not be denied in Game Six. For the entire game the Pacers threw everything they had at him, trying to slow him down. But nothing worked. When he had position, he drove to the hoop. When he didn't, he passed the ball off. And late in the game, as the Pacers tried to catch up, the other Lakers chipped in and started hitting their shots. When Kobe Bryant knocked down four free throws in the final half minute, the Lakers were champions, 116–111. O'Neal finished the night with 41 points.

  As soon as the final buzzer sounded, O'Neal found Bryant and gave him a big hug. Then he did the same to his family before moving to center court to receive the championship trophy. The whole time, tears streamed down his face. After earning All-Star Game and regular season MVP awards, he was also named NBA Finals MVP.

  Those awards were nice, but they were nothing compared with the NBA championship trophy. “I've waited eight years of my life for this to happen,” he said as he hugged the trophy, “and it finally did. I want to thank Phil Jackson. I want to thank you all for believing in us. We're gonna get one next year, too.”

  This was the feeling he'd been waiting for.

  Chapter Seven: 2000–02

  Repeat After Me

  Now that Shaquille O'Neal had won the NBA championship once, he wanted to win it again. He knew that if he won additional championships, there would be no question that he was one of the greatest players in NBA history.

  But he also knew that winning back-to-back championships is very difficult. Teams sometimes suffer a letdown after winning a title. In addition, the opposition tends to play them much harder, hoping to be the ones to knock them from the throne and steal the crown. O'Neal was determined not to let that happen.

  He cut down on some of his off-
the-court activities to concentrate on basketball. About the only distractions he allowed were those activities that involved his charities or were for children.

  Few professional athletes give as much of their time and money to charity as O'Neal. He regularly donates large sums of money to worthwhile groups like the Girls and Boys Clubs, and he sponsors all sorts of programs himself for needy children. At Christmas, he even dresses up as Santa Claus and passes out gifts as “Shaq Claus.”

  And O'Neal was doing something else that very few people knew about. He hadn't forgotten that he had promised his parents he would get his college diploma. For the past several years he'd been attending summer school, doing much of his schoolwork online through a correspondence course. He had left LSU twenty-eight credits shy of a degree. Now he was nearly finished with his course work.

  From the start of the 2000–01 season, O'Neal showed the same determination on the court that he demonstrated in his college studies. His teammates were just as resolved to stay on top. From out of the gate, the Lakers rolled over their opponents with ease. By midseason it was clear that they were on their way to another division title and would likely enter the playoffs with one of the best records in basketball, ensuring that they would have the home court advantage for much of the postseason.

  In the middle of the season, however, O'Neal left his teammates for a few days to return to LSU. He was ready to graduate. He sat with the other students during the degree ceremony in the traditional cap and gown. Of course, O'Neal's cap and gown weren't quite as traditional as everyone else's. His had to be specially made, and he wore a huge sash that read “Shaquille is finished” and “This is for you, Mom.” He waited for his name to be called out, then solemnly walked across the podium and received his diploma, a bachelor's degree in general studies with a minor in political science. Then he turned to where his parents were sitting and flashed a big smile. The other graduates couldn't restrain themselves from clapping and cheering for him.