Shaquille O’Neal explains in his memoirs how Jerry West was let go from the Los Angeles Lakers despite The Logo’s services to the team and despite the fact that Phil Jackson sacked Jerry West.
While playing for the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal experienced both the team’s successes and its failures. The high points came when he won three championships in a row and was crowned the best player in the world.
The lows literally and figuratively broke the team, which had been carefully put together over a decade. The conflict between Shaq and Kobe Bryant was the topic that received the greatest attention from the media.
Nevertheless, there was a second fight that was going on behind the scenes that was just as significant but went unnoticed at the time. It was important because it shed light on the various ways in which Phil Jackson’s Lakers had progressed throughout the years.
NBA News: Shaquille O’Neal Brought to Light the Power Battle
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In his book “Shaq Uncut,” Shaquille O’Neal brought to light the power battle that had been going on between Phil Jackson and Jerry West for quite some time.
Shaquille O’Neal was dissatisfied with the way in which Jerry West was treated.
O’Neal first became aware of the goings-on behind the scenes in the year 2000, when the Los Angeles Lakers won their first championship in franchise history. He began his search for Jerry West when he was still wearing the ring from his first championship win. However, Shaq was unable to find any trace of the legend anywhere he looked.
Some people believe that Jerry left because he was too superstitious to stay there any longer. However, it was not the case. Shaquille O’Neal was quick to figure out the reality of the situation. Jerry Jackson was absent due to the fact that Phil Jackson and Kanye West did not get along very well with one another.
Phil decided not to include Jerry in any of the team meetings. The same was confirmed by Jerry West in his book, as well as other sources. He said that Phil did something physical to get him kicked out of the meeting after a game.
According to what Jerry said, Jackson told him the following at the terrifying and important meeting: Get out of here, Jerry; I haven’t completed this sentence yet.
Diesel was dissatisfied with the way in which Phil Jackson dealt with Jerry West.
Jerry was the one who organised everyone else
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Jerry received a public commendation from Diesel for his contribution to the group. He was sure that the Lakers’ three straight championships would not have been possible without The Logo.
Additionally, Shaq is absolutely right. Jerry was the one who organised everyone else. He was the one who discovered Kobe Bryant, and he was the one who got Shaquille O’Neal a recording contract. It’s worth noting that he was the one who put Phil Jackson in charge of the Lakers, which is an interesting fact.
It’s possible that Phil’s interactions with Jerry Krause in Chicago played a role in the development of Jerry’s anger toward him. Jackson may have developed a mistrust of general managers as a result of the Krause incident, which was responsible for the premature end of the greatest dynasty in NBA history.
There are a variety of reasons why Jerry West is not the same person as Jerry Krause. He was a legendary figure who Phil Jackson should have treated with a lot more respect than he actually did.