On Tuesday (Sept. 19), Shaquille O’Neal made headlines for giving praise where it was due. The 51-year-old former NBA player and current sports analyst told Michael Babcock on TMZ Sports that former baseball/football pro and current college football coach Deion Sanders reminded him of Phil Jackson, the 11-time NBA champion, during the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams.
O’Neal said, “When they were down 15, there was a camera that panned to Deion’s face, and it reminded me of Phil Jackson. And I’ve always said, ‘If the general doesn’t panic, the troops don’t panic.'”
Later, he further explained, “I know exactly what the [Colorado players] are going through because when you are standing in front of someone that has an impressive resume, and you’re trying to get to the level he get to, everything you say is golden. I felt that way when Phil Jackson first came to the Lakers… Before [Phil] got there, me and Kobe, we got swept all the time. But when he came there, and stepped in the locker room and we saw he didn’t panic, so it taught us not to panic. We know that this guy knows what he’s talking about.”
On Saturday (Sept. 16), the Buffaloes won the game against the State Rams following a fierce rally and comeback in the fourth quarter after being down by double digits most of the night. They won 43-35 in double overtime.
As pointed out during the show, the team currently ranked 19th in the country won only one game in the entirety of last season out of 11. This season, the Colorado Buffaloes can claim 3-0 against all competitors to date.
O’Neal exclaimed, “Deion right now is the best coach in college football. You heard it here first.”