Shaq has referred to Jackson as general at least a couple of times.

The Los Angeles Lakers were fortunate to have had one of the most dominant players ever and arguably the greatest coach in league history at the same time.

Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson helped the franchise become the last team in any of the four major American professional sports to complete a three-peat.

O’Neal has frequently shown great respect for Jackson and seems to have appreciated how the Hall of Fame coach handled him and his former teammates.

In 2001, months before the Lakers won the second of their three consecutive championships, Shaq offered insight into the lesson he learned from his then-coach in dealing with different types of people.

“Yeah, Phil’s good at that stuff because he’s a psychological person,” he said. “But he’s the general, I’m the drill sergeant, and we all just have to be motivated and go out there and just do it.”

General Phil

It appears O’Neal, known for adulating his stepfather, formerly an army sergeant, had a penchant for calling Jackson a general.

He also used the term to describe the 11-time champion in a discussion of the best coaches in the history of the Association on “NBA on TNT.”

“From being with him, I made up the famous quote, ‘If the general doesn’t panic, the troops don’t panic,'” the former MVP said. “I played for a lot of coaches where it gets real tight, they start panicking. But Phil would always just look at us and say,’ I’m not gonna bail you out. Do what you do.'”

If it weren’t for Jackson, the Lakers probably wouldn’t have won three titles in the Shaq era, even if they also had Kobe Bryant on the roster.

They almost got eliminated from the playoffs twice, as their Western Conference Finals matchups against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000 and the Sacramento Kings in 2002 went the distance.

Phil knew how to push the right buttons, which allowed O’Neal, Bryant, and Los Angeles’ role players to will the team to victory against its tough opponents.

Psychological Phil

It’s also worth noting that Shaq described Jackson as a “psychological person.” The former Coach of the Year had become renowned for studying human psychology and applying his findings to his players. Bryant also once shared how studious the “Zen Master” was, particularly on the subject matter.

Other NBA legends have also spoken up about Jackson’s unconventional yet successful methods. For instance, Michael Jordan recognized how Phil’s teachings have helped him do well in big games, including the “Flu Game.”

Of course, Jackson didn’t always have the answer for everything. Chief among those he couldn’t solve was Shaq’s feud with Kobe. To be fair, not even the greatest coaches or generals could have gotten the former tandem to iron out their differences.