[Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's "It Takes Two"]
DJ E-Z ROCK: ♪ Right about now ♪
♪ You're about to be possessed ♪
♪ By the sounds of MC Rob Base ♪
♪ And DJ E-Z Rock ♪
♪ Hit it ♪
PERSON: Who are you here to see?
- Shaq. - Shaq?
What did you think about him?
- [chuckles] He's big. - He's big.
♪ ♪
SINGER: ♪ It takes two to make a thing go right ♪
♪ ♪
♪ It takes two to make it out of sight ♪
- Who'd you come here to see? - Kobe Bryant.
- Came here for Shaq and Kobe Bryant.
REPORTER: Do you like the Lakers?
- Oh, yeah. Big Lakers fan. REPORTER: Good.
Hopefully, they will win this year, right?
FAN: You got that right. DJ E-Z ROCK: ♪ Hit it ♪
ROB BASE: ♪ I wanna rock right now ♪
♪ I'm Rob Base and I came to get down ♪
REPORTER: In the '90s, you haven't won a NBA title yet.
Do you think this team might do it?
DEL: This is certainly our goal.
This is, um, what we're here for.
- It's good when you have a lot of new faces.
That means that there's a change coming.
- We're very young.
We got mixtures of everything.
We got a couple of veterans,
and we got a guy that he ain't went to college.
BUSS: Well, you can never tell how a team's gonna jell.
Sometimes it comes together immediately,
sometimes it takes two or three years.
So we know we have a lot of talent,
but we don't know how much teamwork we have yet.
♪ ♪
SHAQ: How about five guys playing their roles?
Everybody don't have their own agenda, yeah.
We should be fine.
ROGER TROUTMAN: ♪ California love ♪
[2Pac's "California Love"]
♪ California knows how to party ♪
CHICK HEARN: There he is. His first shot as an owner.
You think he likes it? [commentator laughs]
ROGER: ♪ California ♪
♪ ♪
- At this moment, I can't believe it.
ROGER: ♪ California ♪
PERSON: What's the future?
Want to replace your father at the top?
- Yeah. [laughs]
ROGER: ♪ In the city ♪
BUSS: Between my daughters and my sons,
there are certainly enough sports teams to go around.
♪ ♪
ROGER: ♪ In the city ♪
PERSON: Are you and the rest of the family,
are you guys all on the same page?
♪ ♪
PERSON: The Lakers caught in the middle
of a family power struggle.
♪ ♪
BUSS: I think I've really left them with something.
[indistinct chatter]
CHICK: Aloha and a very pleasant good evening
to you, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm Chick Hearn. Stu Lantz is with me again.
And we're so happy to be with you
in this new chapter of Laker basketball, '96-'97.
DEREK: I grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas,
which is a long way away from LA.
CHICK: Derek Fisher, 6'1",
a 200-pound rookie out of Arkansas.
- To be drafted by the Lakers in 1996 was
more than a dream come true.
You know, we obviously had Nick Van Exel
and Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell.
Byron Scott came back and played.
But yeah, ah, there was no question
whose team it was at that time.
ANNOUNCER: And now here he comes,
the big fella, Shaquille O'Neal.
[cheers and applause]
- I think it's a new start for you
and an opportunity to travel the road
to a championship ring.
- That's what it's all about.
- Shaq was gonna turn the franchise around.
Shaq was gonna give us an opportunity
to get back to winning championships.
- He's dominant. You know, he's just physically dominant.
And he is a great basketball player.
JOHNNY: He was already a celebrity at that point.
And I think my dad was a little more excited
about having Shaq as a sports fan
than he was as the owner of the team.
SHAQ: I'm coming in. [basket rattles]
If this was a mafia movie, I'm taking over all territory.
If this was a gang movie,
I'm taking over all neighborhoods.
You don't have to tell me. Trust me. I'm telling you.
[Shaquille O'Neal's "(I Know I Got) Skillz)"]
♪ You want to fight, come fight me ♪
♪ I'll hit you with the wa-psh-psh-psh-psh-psh! ♪
♪ See? See? I get dirty ♪
BUSS: He's bigger than life.
Literally the man, when he walks in the room,
commands all the attention of everybody in the room.
- I am Kazaam!
- Shaq was the ultimate showman.
You know, him and LA just went together perfect.
- I used to blow his ass up to get free tickets.
"Shaq, it's the Dogg. What's happening?"
I used to hit him on the pager and the SkyTel.
"It's Snoop Dogg. I need nine tickets, nigga.
Leave them at the gate." [laughs]
BUSS: You had to have a real superstar
in order to have a credible franchise,
especially in a city like Los Angeles.
[cheers and applause]
But regardless of how charming a personality is,
eventually, the fans want a win.
SHAQ: The first thing Jerry West did
when I got there, he sat me down and he said,
"Look up."
And as I look up,
he says, "Son, if you can come here
"and win multiple championships,
your name will be up there one day."
He said, "It ain't gonna take long.
"I just signed this kid.
You and him are gonna win a lot of championships."
[soft dramatic music]
KURT: When Kobe was drafted,
you could see the young kid's talent level.
It wasn't like you had to strain to find it.
It was there.
I mean, it just popped right off the court.
You're gonna forget real quick,
and everybody has to keep that in the back of your mind,
that he's just 18.
SHAQ: He was loved from day one.
The fans are going, "Kobe! Kobe!"
ALL: [chanting] Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!
CHICK: And they're calling "Kobe, Kobe, Kobe."
NICK: I can see Kobe right now.
Like, his swag and confidence was through the roof.
- College is great competition.
But in the NBA, it's the best players in the world,
and I love to play against the best players in the world.
- He was so intense on being like Michael,
being better than Michael.
- Everything that MJ did, Kobe did.
Like the chewing of the gum, the walking,
the moves, the footwork.
I used to have VHS tapes back in the day
full of highlights of Michael Jordan.
Kobe asked to borrow them.
And I have never seen those tapes again.
[laughing] He was just like,
"No, motherfucker, I want my tapes."
[laughs]
[cheers and applause]
KURT: When Kobe came in,
he had all the components to be a great ball player.
But what he didn't have was experience.
- Would he be capable of waiting his time?
And there's no question his time was gonna come soon.
PERSON: You are the youngest player
for the Lakers right now.
Do you feel any pressure
coming straight out of high school?
- Not really.
No, it's more excitement more than anything.
You know, I just can't wait to go out there
and just play a little.
- You know, I knew he had greatness in him
from day one of watching him in practice.
And then to have Shaq.
You know, if they could jell, I was like,
man, the sky's the limits for them.
My main man, Showboat, coming in here.
This is my man, this is my man.
This is Showboat.
We call him Showboat, but y'all know him as Kobe Bryant.
This is my main man.
I feel like a father to him. I mean, this is my boy.
I mean, we play together,
we sit on the bench by each other.
We're always talking.
Then when I look at--
you know how you go down in the locker room
and they list everybody's age?
Not their age, but they date of birth?
- Mm-hmm. - And I see '78.
- '78. - [laughs]
And I'm like, "I'm twice as old as the kid," you know?
- So I've been living in LA
since I was, like, in third grade.
- This young man was so respectful.
Because I was like, "Kobe," you know,
"Nice to meet you. My name is Byron."
"I know who you are, Mr. Scott."
That's exactly how you--
"I know who you are, Mr. Scott."
I was like, "Okay, well,
you don't have to call me Mr. Scott."
- You know,
what have your biggest challenges been this year?
- The hardest thing, I would say,
has been moving away from my family.
- You didn't have the opportunity that we had
as far as we were able to adjust a little bit
because we went to college, so we had a chance to adjust.
And you coming straight out of high school.
ROBERT: You know, I've never played with anybody 18,
19, since college.
Sports are all about tradition.
And after the game, the beers were in the locker room.
We always crack open a brew.
[laughter] - [indistinct]
ROBERT: Once we got Kobe on the team,
someone comes in and says, "You have a minor in here."
[laughing] Yeah, there's a couple guys
that kind of got upset at Kobe about that.
We would go out somewhere, and they'll look at him like,
"Dude, I can't let you in."
[laughing] "You're not even 21 yet."
[indistinct clamoring]
SHAQ: Oh, I can get him in,
but if you ask somebody something
and they say no twice,
you know, someone's gonna be on top.
How can you live in Southern California
and just go to practice and go home?
SNOOP: He really wasn't the club type.
You know, he dibbled and dabbled a little bit,
but then he would get on his basketball shit
and he would be, like, locked up.
He just was different.
- I always keep people arm-distant.
You know, I'm very outgoing and I'll talk to anybody.
But there's a certain limit.
I'm not gonna let just anybody into my family circle.
- He never really smiled. He was always serious.
- They were, you know, opposites.
Kobe was, you know, focused, driven, and 18 years old.
- Kobe would kill us in practice.
And we was like, "Man, slow your ass down."
Like, "God damn, we in walkthrough."
- And Shaq wanted to have fun.
[whistle blows]
NICK: We in practice waiting on him.
All of a sudden he comes out the locker room butt naked,
does a lap, and goes back in.
- [laughs] That is indeed frightening.
SHAQ: I don't know what you're talking about.
And they need to understand that snitches get stitches.
So when I see you,
got something for you, D-Fish and Rob.
JIM: So there was conflict,
and Kobe worked his tail off to be the greatest.
Shaq had the natural talent to be the greatest.
But it didn't seem like he worked as hard to get beyond.
- From a distance, you could see
that these two guys were gonna be butting heads.
[cheers and applause]
[soft dramatic music]
NEWSCASTER: Women's basketball goes big time
with a new league backed by the NBA.
- 'Bout time that the women take the court
and show their stuff.
JOHNNY: When I got the call from my dad to run the Sparks,
of course, my head was spinning again,
going, "Okay, now I'm older, I'm more mature.
I'm running another sports team."
But I already went through this with the Lazers.
You know, you don't expect to win.
You just build yourself up
and you get there as quickly as you possibly can.
But it's the same business.
You're trying to grow something.
COMMENTATOR: Welcome to the Great Western Forum,
and it is a sellout crowd of some 12,000 people.
JOHNNY: It was so much fun
to try out this new age of basketball that was happening.
MICHAEL: When I moved into coaching,
Johnny, I mean, was just like his dad--
not being too involved, but involved enough.
Coop, I don't care what you do.
Is it best for the team?
[cheers and applause]
COMMENTATOR: Here's the tip.
And the Sparks control.
JOHNNY: The Lakers have Shaq to grow on.
We had Lisa Leslie.
- Los Angeles has been known for its Showtime
with the Los Angeles Lakers,
and I think it will be continued
with the WNBA's team.
- If it wasn't for the physicality,
Lisa could have played in the NBA.
COMMENTATOR 1: Leslie, who starred at USC,
grew up just a few blocks away from the Forum.
COMMENTATOR 2: That's Lisa Leslie with those long arms.
She just knocks it out.
JOHNNY: She was the great player,
and we knew that we were going to have a great first step
when we started this team.
Could she do it alone? Of course not.
COMMENTATOR: And that'll do it here
at the Great Western Forum.
It's the New York Liberty over the LA Sparks.
JOHNNY: Just like any other team,
it might not have been an immediate success.
But my dad said, "You're going in the right direction."
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
You know, Jimmy wanted to prove himself
just like I wanted to prove myself
or anybody wants to prove themselves.
- Everything I know about basketball and scouting,
I learned from Jerry West.
My dad knew I would come in with,
"Please just feed me everything you got, Mr. West."
[laughing] Who's, I mean, there's a legend right there
and I'm working with him.
♪ ♪
He took me on my first scouting job.
Of course, that was Hawaii, which was great, you know.
[laughs]
When you're traveling with horses in trailers,
you're getting pretty dirty.
So when we went first class to Hawaii with Jerry West,
I'm sitting there going, "This is a dream."
You know, I can't believe I'm sitting next to him.
- I thought he was shy.
Um, always very courteous.
Uh, he would go to these big scouting things with us.
- He'd see games. Uh, he'd send reports in.
Stuff you kind of do when you're starting out.
JEANIE: My dad felt that Jimmy had a good eye.
That, given time, Jimmy could really understand
what you look for in a great player.
- I thought he was fine. I really did.
Obviously, I had great respect for Jerry and for his kids.
But my only question was, you know, the owner's son--
are you hiring him to, uh--
just to give him something to do?
Was he going to, you know, be dedicated enough to do it?
♪ ♪
JEANIE: When I was, you know,
named as the general manager of the Forum
and started running the venue,
there really wasn't much crossover between anything
my brothers were doing and what I was doing.
[soft upbeat music]
NEWSCASTER: Jeanie Buss is a woman with a plan.
She wants to make the Great Western Forum
the best arena it can be--
at least until a new arena is built in LA.
- The ambitious part of me jumped at the opportunity.
I wanted to learn and grow.
JANIE: My father took our personalities
and kind of helped place us where we excelled.
And Jeanie has always been a perfectionist.
- I liked the challenge.
When you are in a position like that,
you have to be at work in the morning.
And then you have to stay that night
for whatever event is in the building
'cause it's your building.
♪ ♪
- I told Jerry, she doesn't have to be here
for every concert.
But she was very devoted.
JEANIE: I wanted to do whatever I could
in the family business.
But as time went on, you know,
I really realized how much I was missing of a dating life,
a social life.
In the divorce,
I ended up with a house that was on the beach.
My girlfriends would literally call me from my house
while I was at work saying, "Hey, it's a great beach day.
Wish you were here."
Those years, those three or four years,
really, I had no free time.
♪ ♪
Especially when Shaq and Kobe came to the Lakers,
my phone was ringing off the hook.
People requesting tickets, celebrities coming again.
- There's some hope now.
People really believe in the Lakers again.
You know, they watched them,
but they really didn't believe in them.
Now they're watching them at a record number.
[Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It"]
SINGERS: ♪ This is how we do it ♪
- That era that got ushered in,
the Lake Show--[chuckles]
It was not so much for him.
And it wasn't for even us as a family.
It was really, it'll help our fans.
MONTELL: ♪ This is how we do it ♪
♪ It's Friday night ♪
NICK: You talking about expectations through the roof.
Everywhere we went, it was sold out.
Like, it was crazy.
JEANIE: We were ecstatic
that we had what you would call a big two.
[kids screaming]
And they were everywhere.
MONTELL: ♪ The honeys in the street say ♪
♪ Monty, yo, we made it, it feels so good ♪
- Hey, you're Kobe Bryant.
- Oh, Kobe. [cheers and applause]
- Look, Mom, it's about the SAT.
I don't do well on big tests. I freeze up.
♪ ♪
- This was the Lake Show.
We're not the team that's gonna come down and run plays.
We're the team that's got lobs, dunks.
MONTELL: ♪ I'm kind of buzzed and it's all because ♪
SINGERS: ♪ This is how we do it ♪
MONTELL: ♪ South Central does it like nobody does ♪
SINGERS: ♪ This is how we do it ♪
- So we got an arena filled with A-List stars.
You know what I mean, they coming to watch you.
SNOOP: Coming to sit courtside after becoming famous
is probably the best thing that can happen
for you in entertainment,
because you know that you're an attraction at the attraction.
You're watching the basketball game,
but you know the basketball players are watching you.
ICE CUBE: You know, at that time,
I could afford season tickets.
So being up in the Forum was great.
Yelling at the refs, you know, where they can hear you now.
FLEA: We just knew that we were gonna
win a championship again.
And to get into the Forum to watch them play
was gonna be the golden ticket for the time of your life.
ANDY: That place was on fire, you know.
It was a magical time in LA sports.
DYAN: We thought this is the beginning
of ring after ring after ring.
That's what we were hoping.
♪ ♪
J.A.: I grew up in Los Angeles.
I was there for Showtime.
And then there was this long period
of wandering in the wilderness.
But when I got to "the Times" in '97, the Lakers,
the Shaq and Kobe era, was on the way up.
I think people thought the Lakers
could be championship contenders.
It all felt, like, preordained in a way.
Although Kobe still had some things to learn and work out.
- There's gonna be a time through the playoffs
where guys on the team are struggling.
And we're gonna have to go in there and do our job
and, you know, answer the call, answer that ultimate challenge.
And I love it, man. I can't wait.
- And we're playing Utah in Utah,
and we were about to lose the series.
[cheers and applause]
EDDIE: We were down 3-1 in the playoffs.
If we lose another game, we're going home.
We knew it was all or nothing.
KEVIN HARLAN: We're tied at 89.
It's a timeout, Los Angeles
with 11.3 to play in regulation.
DEL: We were tied with Utah.
What we've got to do is get a shot.
This was the time.
EDDIE: The play was for me, and I was open.
And, um, Kobe decided he wanted to shoot the shot.
KEVIN: Five seconds left, four.
Bryant drives. Pull up, shot on the way--
no good.
Karl Malone, rebound. We go to overtime.
- And everybody always asked me this question about
was you pissed off?
Don't get me wrong. Yeah, at the time I was pissed.
But when you think about it, you're like,
he felt like he was open.
- Now in the overtime,
Utah got out in the lead
and we were trying to catch up.
- And Kobe shot two airballs in a row.
KEVIN: Bryant for three. It's short again. Airball.
Airball. Eight seconds, seven seconds--
here's a three-pointer.
Airballed again by Kobe Bryant.
It's over, it's over, it's all over.
- Listen, if the play was drawn up for someone else,
if I was open, I would've taken it.
- I don't know if Kobe was ready for that moment.
But he had the heart.
SHAQ: I told him. I said, "Hey, man, we lost.
But one day, everybody's gonna fear you."
REPORTER: Didn't seem like you ever lost your confidence.
- Well, you can't. You know, we came too far.
Uh, once you have an open look, shoot it.
And, uh, and unfortunately, they weren't falling.
They weren't falling tonight, but...
J.A.: You can see the makings of a Hall of Fame player here.
Just his understanding of the game,
his mastery of the fundamentals,
all the tools to be a great, great player.
KOBE: I had to take a shot.
I rushed it and I came up a little short.
Uh...
this year, we learn from those mistakes.
When I get put in that situation again,
I'm not gonna miss them.
BRYON: He looked at that as a learning experience,
and he was gonna come back the next year
with a vengeance, and he did.
TUPAC: ♪ Bogart, Big Serge, y'all know how this go ♪
♪ All eyes on me ♪
♪ Motherfuckin' OG ♪
♪ Roll up in the club and shit ♪
♪ All eyes on me ♪
[2Pac's "All Eyez On Me"]
- Are you basically now the basketball player
you want and think you should be?
- Still a long ways for me to go.
I mean, this is just the beginning.
You know, I'm just getting started.
- He wasn't easy, okay? He was not.
He thought there was one guy against the five.
[basket rattles] [cheers and applause]
ROBERT: When Kobe was in one of those moods,
we wouldn't throw him the ball. [laughs]
We'd be like, "Eh, we can't get it to you."
We'd swing it the other way.
And he would get so mad.
- The players gave him the nickname "Showboat."
And I told him,
"That's the worst nickname you could ever have."
RICK: I joined the Lakers in 1997.
The friction between older players
and Kobe as a young player was simply that.
He wanted it too fast.
The thought was maybe he didn't have to pay his dues.
NEWSCASTER: Kobe Bryant, just 19 years old,
he's been voted by the fans
to start in next Sunday's All-Star Game.
TUPAC: ♪ Live the life of a thug nigga ♪
♪ Until the day I die ♪
♪ Live the life of a boss player ♪
♪ All eyes on me ♪
- Kobe was all business.
- He just looked different from the rip.
The moment cuz hit the floor, he look different.
ICE CUBE: He's like a gunslinger.
You know what I mean? Coming into town,
take no prisoners.
He's not there to be your friend.
DEREK: That energy of, like,
"Nah, no, I'm the alpha male here," started to come out.
"This should be my team.
Follow me."
SHAQ: He wanted the spot.
He wanted to be the guy, period.
And we had to say, "There's this thing
that's called pecking order here."
Relax. I'm still in charge.
KURT: When Kareem was here,
Magic always said, "This is Kareem's team.
I'm just here to help him out."
And I talked to Kobe about that.
You just say it's Shaq's team. Just say it.
And that didn't go over too well. [laughs]
You know, he used some, uh, choice words
about, uh, about Shaq.
"Fuck that motherfucker." [laughs]
Can I say that?
REPORTER: You guys had a fight, you and Shaq.
What was that all about? What happened?
KOBE: Like I say, we're very similar
because we're both competitive.
So you have two competitive guys going head-to-head,
you're gonna have fights.
- Did he connect on the punch he threw?
- No. [laughs]
No, no, no.
I was swift on the duck, you know?
REPORTER: You ducked out of it? Did you throw one back?
- Yeah, well, we just kind of got into, like,
a pushing and shoving match.
- We, uh, touched it up a little bit,
but it wasn't a fight.
I don't fight.
JOHNNY: The clash between Kobe and Shaq
was a little greater than anticipated.
It's not surprising that the Lakers
went through dysfunction.
Dysfunction is part of the job.
It's part of the business.
REPORTER: Can Kobe and Shaq co-exist?
Can they make it work together?
MAGIC: What they have to understand,
it takes two stars to win an NBA championship.
You gotta have two.
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- How well do these guys have to get along
for the Lakers to win a title?
- Well, they have to be in sync on the court.
And off the court, they really don't have to get along.
- I think the expectations continued to grow,
uh, every year internally for us
as well as, you know, media, fans, et cetera.
- You don't have Batman and Robin.
You have Batman and Superman. [chuckles]
You know what I'm saying? You got two alphas.
And they gotta treat each other with respect.
Or not, it's gonna be a problem.
- Just creates this feeling of yearning.
If they can just pull it out,
like, bring it together for this game, you know.
♪ ♪
J.A.: Every little thing becomes magnified
because it could be the difference
between a championship or not.
It could be the difference between a dynasty or not.
JEANIE: When you have a player like Shaq,
you should be winning championships.
And we were losing in the playoffs.
SHAQ: '97, we lost.
'98, I think swept.
Dr. Buss never even talked about the pressure,
but I knew.
"Shaq, we just gave you 120 million.
You got to step up."
REPORTER: The criticism of you is that you have too much fun
doing other things and that basketball is not your focus.
SHAQ: Dr. J did a movie, Kareem did a movie.
"Shaq, you're doing too much."
"Shaq's not ready."
It's all my fault.
Which I accept, I understand.
But what I'm realizing is, everybody,
when it comes to coaching, is thinking just like I am.
- Del Harris would have been a great coach
for that team in the mid-'90s.
But now the standards and expectations change
when you get the likes of a Shaquille O'Neal.
[indistinct chatter]
KURT: Del was a teacher.
And that was one of the issues that developed over time.
He let the players run, you know,
and then there was something to be taught,
so then everyone would have to come to a standstill.
- You know, shootarounds a lot of times
would end up being a Del lecture session.
And then you'd just see players just go sit down.
ROBERT: He was on the verge of losing everybody.
And once you lose a guy, it's hard to get him back.
- He had already lost Nick.
- I think we lost each other. Del and I lost each other.
EDDIE: Del was calling plays from the sideline.
And Nick, he hated that.
But then the next day, it kind of erupted.
We had to pull Nick away, pull Del away.
I mean, they got in each other's face.
- You got 70-year-old Del ready to physically fight.
- Del was like, "Come on.
"You're gonna walk over here,
but you're gonna crawl back."
- [laughs]
Next thing you know, they're gonna say
Del did like this to me.
[laughs] No, man.
I had a ball in my hand and he slapped it out of my hand.
So to me, it wasn't a big deal.
EDDIE: And Del and Shaq, they had their conflict.
Once Shaquille feels, though, you're not capable,
he wants you out of there.
SHAQ: My thing with all the coaches was,
if you haven't been to the mountaintop...
♪ ♪
- My dad's like, "I've got to keep Shaq happy."
He was gonna find whatever it took
to make Shaq successful
and take him back to the promised land.
WEST: I was sitting in my office,
and I get a call from Jerry Buss.
[phone ringing]
He said, "I just let Del go."
And I'm--whoa.
[cheers and applause]
He was my friend.
- West is coming into the room, guys.
- We just feel at this point in time
that, um, uh, we're not going in the right direction.
We felt a coaching change was necessary.
- I was surprised when I was let go, as a matter of fact.
This is being like a guy having three bad days on the market
and selling everything.
PRODUCER: Doesn't seem fair.
- Well, I don't care about fair.
It's just not sensible.
ANNOUNCER: Head coach, first time we've ever said that,
is Kurt Rambis.
KURT: You know, this was a very difficult season.
I'm a young coach.
I'm trying to deal with all of this.
And there was so much pressure to win a championship.
So that didn't really-- [chuckles]
You know, bode well for me, either.
JEANIE: We needed to be successful.
There was a big financial crush
because we were moving into a new arena.
Staples Center was gonna open,
this era was gonna end.
The Forum was gonna end.
CHICK: Halfway up to the ceiling at the Forum
here in Los Angeles.
Lakers moving from our right to our left.
And the tip between...
INTERVIEWER: Dr. Buss, let me ask you, first of all,
why would you want to buy the Forum?
- The Forum is a magnificent piece of real estate.
So it's a combination of economics and, uh, fun.
JEANIE: The Forum was his home.
And he loved that building, he really did.
BUSS: I didn't want to go.
I don't think anybody wanted to go, really.
It was just kind of like a mom-and-pop operation.
I mean, everybody there knew everybody else.
- All the employees at the Forum,
all the ushers, everybody, we were all family basically.
JOHNNY: But, uh, the Forum was getting older,
and he was worried about that it was going to cost him money
to keep the maintenance up.
♪ ♪
- You're watching the Detroit Pistons opening up
the Palace in Auburn Hills--
luxury seating and suites.
All these things that we just couldn't do at the Forum.
We didn't have the space.
So the world was changing,
and my dad wasn't interested in building a new arena.
He didn't want to take on that task.
- And there was just not enough money to do it.
♪ ♪
JEANIE: My dad sold the Kings in 1987.
And the new owner sold the team
to Phil Anschutz in the '90s.
And he was looking to build an arena in LA.
- Well, I'd never met, uh, Dr. Buss before.
We had only had, I think, two meetings
before we consummated the deal.
JEANIE: And Phil said,
"I'm taking a lot of risk to build this arena.
"Your team is going to benefit and go up in value,
and I should get a piece of your upside."
- My dad had to basically sell a piece of the team,
which he didn't want to do.
- I wanted to buy more of the Lakers,
and he wanted to sell me less.
But like much of life, all things are compromises.
- And we knew that when we came to Staples that this was now,
uh, entering into the corporate century.
- My dad made an agreement that the Lakers would
move into that new arena
in downtown Los Angeles.
GOLDSTEIN: 20 years ago, downtown LA was very sad.
I rarely went downtown. Maybe once or twice a year.
- Wasn't very pretty.
And it wasn't someplace you'd like to walk alone.
Well, frankly, it still isn't.
ANDY: It was an adult dose. Be careful where you walk.
Be in good company and watch your back.
- Our season ticket holders were,
"I don't want to drive downtown.
Nobody goes downtown. It's too dangerous."
Now you're talking about a lot more risk,
a lot more money that could be lost.
♪ ♪
As we got closer and closer to Staples Center opening,
there was just a lot of anxiety
about what the future was gonna hold.
- Jerry Buss tells me all the time
that he wants a championship-caliber team.
JEANIE: He made a big investment in Shaq and Kobe
right out of high school.
Did we miscalculate on what he's gonna be?
And you know, it just wasn't working.
♪ ♪
There was no longer a reason for me
to be general manager of the Forum,
and my dad gave me the title
executive vice president of business operations.
That meant that I was an executive
on the Lakers side of things.
You know, I wasn't aware of any hard feelings
from my siblings when I moved in that position.
That was something that my dad had been grooming me towards.
I've learned from the best,
and that gives instant recognition and respect.
[soft tense music]
I, like, was at the office every day,
and that wasn't something that either of them
really wanted to be at the office every day.
JOHNNY: I mean, I was proud of my sister
taking over the Laker job.
And I was proud to be involved in women's sports.
During the building of the Staples Center,
I was excited about it,
but it was bittersweet at that time.
The Lakers and Kings were asked to go
to the Staples Center
and the Sparks were not.
♪ ♪
It was just hurtful, you know?
It was like, why weren't we asked to come over?
MICHAEL: I felt the same,
that the Staples Center should have invited us.
Because the WNBA, the Sparks and the Lakers,
were a whole entity.
JOHNNY: It was like, "Wow, okay.
Women's basketball is second-class citizens again."
- But before you get too excited about the new
additions to the league, remember,
all of the players are still women.
- It was hurtful to hear,
you know, people make the jokes.
And I could relate to it
'cause I'd heard it for so many years
about everything about a woman being involved in sports.
- You know, I mean, it makes me second-guess.
Well, what am I really doing? Am I doing something good here?
Or is it just to comfort me, uh, for a job?
Am I just being appeased by my father and my family?
- It has been well-documented,
a tumultuous year for the Laker organization.
The firing of coach Del Harris 12 games into the season
and now, finally, the playoffs have arrived
for a team that had such high expectations
at the beginning of the year.
[suspenseful music]
ANNOUNCER: San Antonio sweeps.
What does the future hold
for the Lakers and for Kurt Rambis?
SHAQ: I already had a grace period.
We know you're not gonna win this year--you're close.
But around the third time getting swept,
now it's time to make moves.
And then finally, I went upstairs and said, uh,
"Hey, man, Phil Jackson is available."
[Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle"]
♪ ♪
STEVE MILLER: ♪ Tick tock tick ♪
♪ Doo doo doo-doo ♪
[hawk shrieks]
♪ Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' ♪
PHIL: In June of that year,
I was in Montana to spend my summer.
From having played 14 years in the NBA,
I just know that you spend a lot of time on the road,
a lot of time away from family.
and you needed to have a spot to recreate.
STEVE MILLER: ♪ To the sea ♪
♪ Fly like an eagle ♪
PHIL: I was a fly fisherman,
did a lot of motorcycle riding,
all stuff that really coordinated
with the great outdoors, the Rocky Mountains.
- We had to "interview" Phil.
They sent me out.
Phil said, "Before you come in,
I need you to move this log out the lake."
[soft hopeful music]
And I'm saying to myself,
"I'm not moving no motherfucking log
out no motherfucking lake."
And then I said, "It's a test, I know."
'Cause it's stuff my father used to do.
And Phil Jackson is a white version of my father.
My father was a drill sergeant.
He demanded respect.
Because Phil had a great résumé,
he also demanded respect.
PHIL: I always felt like Shaq had so many
other things going on, films, music, appearances,
that basketball wasn't his first priority.
And I just encouraged him to really,
you know, give basketball your full attention.
- You say don't go out, no more clubs for me.
You say no more movies, no more movies for me.
No more rapping, no more nothing for me.
What do you want me to do?
All right, I'm doing it.
Shaq, go move the log in the cold-ass water.
Yes, sir. [loud splash]
And he gives me a towel.
He says, "Hey, go in here and get changed."
I open the door...
♪ ♪
And the sun is hitting these gold balls perfectly.
It was like... [imitates angelic choir]
I felt like King Arthur who just passed his last test
and he's about to become a knight.
And then he said, "If you listen to me,
I'll make you MVP this year."
So I shake his hand and say, "Deal."
[seagulls cawing]
JIM: I was meeting with my dad.
You know, he said, "Well, we can get Phil,
but he's gonna cost us."
And I said, "Well, you know the numbers.
"And you get this, you've got a hell of a chance
of winning some championships."
- After an agreement was made, Dr. Buss said,
"Really, all I want is to win another championship."
I said, "Well, I came here
because I think we can win more than one championship."
NEWSCASTER: In six of the last eight NBA Finals,
Phil Jackson was on the winning sideline
as coach of the Chicago Bulls.
Today, Jackson is back in the spotlight,
named head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
J.A.: They did the press conference in the same room
where they had the Golden Globes Awards.
[laughs] Welcome to Hollywood.
And Phil seemed to embrace it. [cheers and applause]
PHIL: This is a team that, uh, is talented.
It's young, it's on the verge. It's been on the verge.
And yet, it hasn't quite gotten over the top.
J.A.: The arrival of Phil Jackson meant
that there were no more excuses.
Something goes awry, they're not gonna fire the coach.
There's gonna be changes made to the roster.
It upped the pressure on Kobe and Shaq.
- Shaq says he wants to win a championship.
REPORTER: Mm-hmm. - That's what he said.
Kobe says the same thing.
Well, okay, we're gonna find out
if all that's true right now.
- I'm gonna ask them to get in the best shape
they can be in, because come October,
they're gonna be working.
♪ ♪
JEANIE: At the press conference,
I'm standing next to Magic,
and you literally see me roll my eyes
at like, "Oh, my gosh,
this guy is gonna bring a circus to town."
What are we doing?
- A village coming off a river,
and we got to the fishing site--
JEANIE: I already was worried
that Phil was gonna be a bigger personality
than Shaq or Kobe.
And you know, now we're at the Beverly Hills Hotel
doing these special press conferences.
And of course, Phil's, like, man of the hour.
There was no way I was gonna, like,
wait in line to meet him.
So I finally met him in September
in Vancouver at the league meeting.
PHIL: It was raining in Vancouver, of course,
the end of September.
I got to the airport, and Jeanie was sitting
where my plane was supposed to take off.
I was like, "Are you on this flight?"
And she said, "No, uh,
"I was on the flight before this,
"but that was canceled because of the rain.
And they're putting us all on the same plane."
I said, "Okay.
Are you in first class? We can sit together."
"No, I ride in coach."
[soft dramatic music]
So I was really impressed by that, because I said,
okay, this is something entirely different.
- And you know, of course, I'm reading "People" magazine.
And he's like...
[laughing] "What are you reading?"
And I was embarrassed that I'm, like,
reading just, you know, a regular old magazine.
- So we had a conversation for an hour probably.
The plane was delayed.
♪ ♪
- When I heard his voice,
I don't know what it was about his voice,
but it just---
it just, you know, stood me up straight
like this jolt of electricity or, you know,
when people talk about, like, love at first sight.
I just fell for him hard.
♪ ♪
PHIL: The next workweek,
we were in the office together.
She sent over a piece of her birthday cake to my office.
And so I dropped by and thanked her for it and said,
you know, "You want to go out to dinner tonight?"
We did.
- At dinner that night,
we kind of talked about our-- the spark between us.
♪ ♪
PHIL: You know, I was establishing myself
as a, you know, individual person,
as a single man again.
I've got five children. I've been married twice.
You know, I'm coming out of a relationship for 25 years.
So we talked a little bit about that.
- I told him that I wanted to live in truth.
That was very different for me
in terms of the way I was brought up.
PHIL: She was like, "My dad kind of left us
"when I was seven, moved out.
"And when I went to school, I told all the kids
that my dad had died."
JEANIE: I got tired of my friends
asking where my dad was.
♪ ♪
Being real, like, about your emotions,
that's what attracted Phil to me.
You know, for what I thought he was gonna be
to what he was was so different.
I thought he was gonna be high demanding,
consumed by winning.
He is consumed by winning,
but he also knows he's consumed by winning
and is consumed with having a balance in his life.
And not only for himself,
but for the people surrounding him.
♪ ♪
I said, "You know, if we are gonna see each other,
"I'm not gonna do it behind anyone's back.
It has to come with full disclosure."
And so we had to go through that process
of letting people know, which was tough.
[phone ringing]
JIM: I think my dad called me.
He says, "You're not gonna believe who Jeanie's dating."
I said, "Well, who?"
You know, and I'm thinking Wayne Gretzky.
[laughing] Or, you know, something like that.
He goes, "No. Phil."
I go, "Are you kidding me? Phil-Phil?"
And he goes, "Yes. Phil-Phil." [laughs]
And that was the conversation.
- I remember when she told me,
and it was almost like,
"Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding me?"
Like "Ooh, you're dating that guy?" you know?
He was definitely older.
- I think my father was a little, uh,
taken back by it.
PRODUCER: Do you think that the age difference
bothered him at all?
- [chuckles]
He was living that age difference.
He just felt that there was a conflict of interest now.
Anything that he talked to Phil about
was gonna get to Jeanie.
Anything that he talked to Jeanie about
was gonna get to Phil.
So now he had to choose his words carefully,
and I don't think he liked that.
REPORTER: How do you react when they give him heat
for being in love with the boss's daughter?
JEANIE: [laughs]
We're not Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
You know, we're two adults who have lived long lives
and had experiences.
I really don't understand the fascination.
- It did bug Jerry West.
WEST: You know, particularly with Jeanie,
who now was getting more involved with the team,
my concern in a small organization like that,
was that gonna permeate and divide people?
Didn't like it. Did not like it.
BRIAN: I come down to LA, '99-2000 season.
By that time, I was 11 years or so in the league.
And I had played with Shaq in Orlando.
But Phil was different.
In that first year in LA,
I think all of us collectively as a team were like,
"This dude is a little strange.
"Man, what does all this stuff that he has us doing
have to do with basketball?"
[soft upbeat music]
- He comes in the room,
and all of a sudden, we smelling this stuff.
We're like, "What the-- what is the--
someone smoking weed?"
He's going to everybody's locker and, like,
he's, like, trying to, you know,
get out the demons and stuff.
REPORTER: And one last question.
Zen master, tell me about that.
- Well it's just something I taught
these, uh, players about.
Uh, you know, learning how to meditate,
learning how to put their mind, uh, at ease.
- I'm looking at him like...
"Stop talking back.
Michael and Scottie did the meditation."
A'ight. They did it, I'ma do it.
Every day he come in with the sage,
and we got a chance to meditate before practice.
[inhales deeply] Go to a more quiet place.
DEVEAN: It was my rookie year,
and I had the worst person sitting behind me.
Couldn't hold attention for more than five minutes.
And that's Shaq, kicking my chair the whole time.
- We sat there and hummed for about a half hour.
REPORTER: And you thought to yourself?
- Oh, this not too bad. [reporter laughs]
At least we're not floating.
- Zen is something that brings awareness,
and it's very much a part of what I believe
is the game's important key.
And if you're aware out there, it really helps your team.
- Understanding and learning meditation
helped us to slow ourselves down mentally,
emotionally, psychologically.
♪ ♪
- You know, Phil had this thing when he came in.
He'd interview all the players, and he'd make them read books.
- What kind of stuff would he bring in, Shaq?
- He bought me a book, uh, by a guy named Nietzsche.
Nietzsche. - Really?
- Yeah. [laughter and applause]
Nietzsche wrote a book called, uh, "Superman."
But I didn't want to read about myself,
so you know, I didn't read it. [laughter and applause]
By interviewing us and by handing out the books,
he knows what makes us go.
And if you challenge us,
most of the time, we step up.
♪ ♪
COMMENTATOR: The opening of Staples
for the Los Angeles Lakers,
and everybody excited about this new facility
and hoping that they'll get it with a win.
COMMENTATOR: If it goes, it'll go off the fingertips.
DEREK: You were young.
So I think that meditation
just started to help us connect with each other.
♪ ♪
BRIAN: We ran off 16 games in a row,
and then we won 19 games in a row.
And everybody started to kind of look at each other and say,
"This is working."
We quickly realized not only did we have
to apply meditation and use it
for the basketball side of things,
but also in dealing with Kobe.
[soft pensive music]
PHIL: With Kobe, he made a choice.
And the choice was to go it alone.
I do know on the road, most of the time,
he spends it in his room.
And most of the time, he asks us
for the tape of the game we played the night before,
the opponent we're playing the next night.
KOBE: You know, I would study the game.
I would think about our opponents.
And, uh, not every player was doing that.
PHIL: I said to him, you know, some of the players came to me
and said, you know, you don't even want to go down
and have, you know, a bite to eat with him.
- Kobe was extremely quiet.
Um, sat in the back of the bus.
- He has on headphones.
Bobbing his head like he's listening to music,
like he's not paying attention to anybody.
I go and sit next to him,
there's nothing in the headphones.
He just wants to hear what these guys are saying.
- At times it felt like, you know,
what, he doesn't want to be a part of this?
Or he feels like he's too good
to, you know, to hang out with the fellas?
ANNOUNCER: Kobe Bryant's coming in the ball game.
That's what all the noise is about.
PHIL: He saw himself as a star.
[basketball dribbling]
ANNOUNCER: And the coach is all over Kobe.
- He's saying, I want to be the best basketball player ever.
And if I'm restricted and not scoring points,
that's not how I'm gonna be seen.
Sometimes, players have to make a sacrifice
for the betterment of the team.
- We wanted, as a group, to kind of address
Kobe being selfish on the court.
KOBE: Something wasn't right.
I mean, I go to practice,
and I feel a little uncomfortable.
What the--what's this about?
PHIL: The mood in the locker room was not good.
So I asked the ball boys, the trainers,
Jerry West, Mitch Kupchak, to leave the room.
I want to talk to these players alone.
And then I started out on, what's going on out there?
What's going on with you guys?
They didn't want to talk.
Rick Fox finally said,
"You know, we've had trouble with Kobe.
Kobe sometimes gets into his individual act."
- Anything that doesn't drive the team agenda,
like, I have to cut out like it's cancer.
And so my communication I think was
a little probably more emotional
than people expected it to be.
- Rick got so emotional, I think he cried,
and he just kind of, like, went in and just like,
"That's bull, you know, you don't trust us.
You know, we're your brothers."
- If you don't trust us, we're not gonna trust you.
We're not gonna give you the ball.
SHAQ: The true definition of a great player
is one that makes players around you better.
You can't come in doing that all by yourself,
pissing everybody off.
Because now they don't want to play.
And we can't have that right now.
So yeah, I said what I had to say.
And I meant it.
ROBERT: That was the moment when everybody
got some stuff off their chest.
And when your teammates sit back and tell you
how they view you, are you able
to absorb that and understand that?
- It was about them thinking I was out for myself
and I was being selfish, and, um,
which was totally not the case.
- I talked to Jerry West about it at the time.
He said, you know, Kobe doesn't really
want to win if he wants it to be about him.
You know, maybe it'd be best to move him on.
[soft tense music]
- I always say teams emerge as championship contenders
by December or January.
Lakers were one of those teams.
They finished with the best record
in the league that year.
But in the postseason, we learned very early on
that you can show things in the regular season,
and it's a whole different story learning
how to win a championship.
[upbeat music]
ANNOUNCER: Tonight, it's the Portland Trail Blazers
versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
- I just think, you know, both teams are just gonna
come out and lay it on the line.
I mean, I think the pressure's on them
because everybody expected them to beat us
in this series, uh, so dominantly.
- Going into that game 7, we were tied--
series was tied 3-3.
J.A.: Game 7 against Portland was so pivotal,
because I think if they don't win that game,
it's possible Shaq and Kobe get broken up.
This thing is gonna be over
before it even had a chance to start.
COMMENTATOR: The Lakers have to realize that
they've got 12 minutes to play with only a 13-point game.
COMMENTATOR: Not any more. [both laugh]
Steve Smith hits on the run and it's 15.
- I was at that game, man,
and we looked like our dog just died.
- They were blowing us out. I was so mad.
I go, this is how we're going down again?
- In game 7, when you're down 15 points
in the fourth quarter,
when everything's about to crumble away,
Phil says what he says every day.
Go to your quiet place.
He ain't calling no plays.
Shut the hell up.
Go to your quiet place.
He used a little bit of reverse psychology.
"Oh, it's been a great year.
"Knew you pussies couldn't do it.
"We'll win next year, but we're not gonna win this year.
Good job, guys."
And then we looking at each other like, what?
When we was 13 down,
I told my guys, look, do or die.
The time is now.
We've been in this position before,
and we ain't never lost three in a row.
Let's play. Let's go.
- Just kind of like trying to light a fire.
You get this little spark, and you begin to blow on it
and say, come on, come on, heat up.
And, uh, that's what began to happen.
SHAQ: It was a whole game of like, hey, man,
I know you like to do this, but I'm right there, dog.
All right, I got you.
Kobe's like, hey, Shaq, instead of trying to shoot
three or four jump hooks over four or five people,
I'm right here.
All right, I got you, Kob.
So I kept telling him, and he kept saying, I got you.
So right when he's--
right when he's crossed Scottie up,
does he have me?
COMMENTATOR: Bryant to Shaq!
[cheers and applause]
SNOOP: I wasn't watching that moment.
I was at the motherfucking game.
I was in the crowd, you understand me?
We were so excited, so happy,
we jumped out our motherfucking seats.
COMMENTATOR: Kobe Bryant's assist to Shaquille O'Neal
makes it a 6-point difference with 41...
SHAQ: He could have took the shot.
But he was like, you know what?
Big dog's there.
That meant that we were finally there.
- That moment was so significant
because that's when you knew we had the game secured.
- We found something in that eight, nine minute stretch
that defined us for the next, you know, three or four years.
COMMENTATOR: With 41.3 seconds left,
LA has outscored Portland.
And that's it--a huge comeback in the fourth quarter.
DEREK: In order to achieve
what they each want to achieve,
the two of them are connected.
And there's no way to separate that.
- Was this the ultimate test for you all?
- Up to this point, this has been the ultimate test.
- And I knew my teammate was gonna step up for me tonight,
because I had to step up the last two games.
DEREK: These two guys are working together this way,
the rest of the league has no chance.
[laughs]
SNOOP: The Pacers--
Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits--
man, we knew we was gonna dust them off.
They was weak.
[dramatic music]
COMMENTATOR: Larry Bird says, "We know
we can beat this team; however,
our confidence isn't always there.
It comes and goes.
Tonight will set the tone for the entire series.
♪ ♪
COMMENTATOR: Pacers--deep to O'Neal.
Into the lane, to the hoop, and Shaq catches up.
[cheers and applause]
COMMENTATOR: And that's what he has to do.
A lot of different ways to score.
- The toughest game for us was in game 4.
There's always one play that you go,
that's the one that killed us.
It was that tip-in from Kobe.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- And now uno más to go.
COMMENTATOR: Here comes the two-on-one break
with Kobe and Shaw.
Kobe in deep, gives to Shaq.
Shaq is hammered, scores.
Listen to this crowd!
[cheers and applause] The Lakers have the lead!
COMMENTATOR: To Miller, he shoots a three.
No good. Game's over. [buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
SHAQ: The mentality that I had,
if I get to the finals again,
I'm coming home with this.
And I followed Phil's orders and won the MVP too.
PLAYER: Shaq Diesel! PLAYER: Yeah, B!
- Finally got one. Yeah.
And the mentality that he had,
I'm getting one of these trophies too.
So if you got two people that have
that same mentality plus everybody else
is on the right page...
- Is it what you dreamed of? - Oh, it's everything and more.
I mean, you have the Laker colors
falling from the ceiling and fans going crazy.
- You know, to reach this pinnacle again
after going all the way down,
uh, it's just a fantastic feeling.
I can tell you.
It took us ten years.
REPORTER: It's really amazing.
The championship is back where it belongs.
BUSS: It is where it belongs.
- You know, to see his just the satisfaction
and his joy involved in that,
it was a beautiful moment for sure.
JESSE: I was a little kid, but I've heard these stories
about how the Lakers won
so many championships in the '80s,
and being there with my father
to see him at his peak happiness,
it made it that much more special.
JOEY: Because really, it was the first time
me or Jesse really remember, um, celebrating a championship.
You know, we were just so excited to be on that stage
and be part of that.
[cheers and applause]
REPORTER: Is this the beginning of another dynasty?
- We'll just have to see what history says.
- And Shaq says you're gonna do it again next year.
[laughter]
That's a quote.
PERSON: Shaq's right.
- Well, if Shaq says we're gonna win,
uh, who am I to say?
[laughter]
Okay, Shaq. Let's do it!
[laughs]
[cheers and applause]
[soft uplifting music]
[all chanting and cheering]
♪ ♪
- Does that make you feel better?
You ain't gonna cry now, are you, Ricky?
- Whoo!
- That's what I'm talking about!
BUSS: I'm just happy for the fans.
I mean, I don't care what city you take--
New York, Sacramento, Indiana.
Just forget it.
This is where the fans are.
You know, this trophy belongs to them.
I'm the keeper, but they own it.
REPORTER: Can you imagine what this
victory parade is gonna be like?
BUSS: I've got a feeling that Los Angeles
is gonna turn out in total for this particular one.
♪ ♪