The Los Angeles Lakers knew they had a one-two punch that could lead them to greatness when they acquired Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 1996. Shaq was already established as someone with Top 10 all-time potential, and while Kobe was a bit rawer when he came to the league, everyone knew that he was going to be something special in his career as well.
The key for the Lakers was to put the right pieces around them that would help them fulfill the expectations of bringing multiple championships to the franchise. And after they got Phil Jackson following the Last Dance, they focused on putting savvy veterans and great role players around Shaq and Kobe so that they could do their thing.
Phil Jackson had a lot of incredible role players at his disposal during his runs with the Chicago Bulls, and he got them to the Lakers as well. This included names like Ron Harper and former Bad Boy Pistons man John Salley. And while Salley was a solid 36-year-old during his 1 year with the Lakers in 2000, Jackson needed him off the court as much as he needed him on it.
John Salley’s Job On The Lakers Was To Stop Shaq From Getting Into Trouble
Shaquille O’Neal got to LA as a huge star on a massive deal, and in the prime of his life, he was as much of a character as he is now. The Big Diesel knew he was great, and that made him a little reckless, and living the high life, there were a few things that could have gone wrong. However, as Salley revealed on Byron Scott’s podcast, it was his job to make sure that did not happen.
“My job really was to make sure that Shaq didn’t get in any trouble. I told Phil, ‘I’ll play every 5 games.’ One time he walked up, he said, ‘You taped?’ I said, ‘Bruh, this Game 4.’ Come on, man. He’s sitting down there making $22 million. Y’all paying me Shaq’s per diem. Get that big boy out. I was like, come on. I thought I was gonna stay, but Phil told me he had no real estate. And I understood that I was still earning 1.3 million dollars, telling Shaq ‘Young fella, young fella.’ That was my words.”
Every NBA team employs veterans to keep their big stars in check. It’s a necessity considering how easy it is for young superstars to slip up. Having someone like Salley surely helped Shaq stay on track. And it worked. They won the NBA championship during Salley’s one season with the Lakers.
