'He's Golden!' Cowboys Icon Deion Reminds Shaq of Coach Legend
FRISCO - The accolades keep rolling in for Dallas Cowboys and Hall of Fame legend Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes, who have moved to center-stage in the sports world. But as flashy as "Neon Deion'' has always been, there is something notably different about "Coach Prime'' during this surprising 3-0 start, and Sanders' buddy Shaq is the guy who has nailed it.
“When they were down 15 (last week before registering a two-OT win over Colorado State), there was a camera that panned to Deion’s face, and it reminded me of Phil Jackson," O'Neal said in an interview with TMZ Sports.
"And I’ve always said, if the general doesn’t panic, the troops don’t panic."
As Colorado approaches it 2023 Pac-12 debut on Saturday against a top-10 foe in Oregon, O'Neal is making a great point about how Sanders is reminiscent, in a way, of a legendary head coach like the NBA's Jackson.
Shaq and Deion.
For all of "Coach Prime's'' sunglasses-and-strutting persona, the first-year Buffs coach oversees a remarkably disciplined team. Just as he did as a player, Deion knows how to masterfully play the "us against them'' card, and his players have bought into that. But amid all of the tense moments, and the "They made it personal!'' moments, Deion on the sideline is cool. Even stoic.
And Shaq points out that everything about Sanders - his Hall of Fame accomplishments, his pep talks, his coolness - makes him a successful teacher to his pupils. ... as Jackson was in winning titles with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and then with Shaq and Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I know exactly what the kids 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,” O'Neal said about Sanders and Colorado. “I felt that way when Phil Jackson first came to the Lakers."
