John Salley recalls Phil Jackson likening Rick Adelman to Adolf Hitler: "It put us in the mindset that these guys were against us"

Phil Jackson had his own unique way of motivating his teams. During the Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant era, he used to splice movie scenes into the film sessions he conducted.

In one of these sessions against the Sacramento Kings during the 1999-00 season, Jackson displayed Rick Adelman's picture side by side with Adolf Hitler's. He did the same with Jason Williams' photo alongside Edward Norton's skinhead character in the movie "American History X."

"It put us in the mindset that these guys were against us," Lakers reserve big man John Salley said. "Phil makes it fun, entertaining, as well as serious. We know when to laugh and giggle and we know when to be serious. He makes sure we're not bored."

Jackson's film-room tactics paid off handsomely. The Lakers beat the Kings in the first round of the 2000 playoffs, blowing them out in Game 5, 113-86, to secure a 3-2 series win. They then handled their business against the Phoenix Suns in the second round, outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals, and beat the Indiana Pacers to win the NBA title.

Jackson went all out against Sacramento

As if it wasn't enough to compare Adelman to the German dictator, which drew the ire of the Kings' head coach, Jackson playfully and repeatedly jabbed Sacramento with controversial remarks. This trend continued in the following seasons, creating a heated rivalry between the two California squads.

One such comment from the 11-time champion coach was referring to California's capital as a "cow town" and stopped short of calling the people uncultured.

"I coached basketball in Puerto Rico, where when you won on a visiting floor, your tires were slashed and you might be chased out of town with rocks breaking the windows of your car. I mean, it's a different environment, entirely. You're talking about semicivilized Sacramentans. Those people up there may be redneck in some form or fashion," Jackson stated.

After Jackson's disparaging remarks, O'Neal followed suit. The 2000 NBA MVP mockingly called them the Sacramento "Queens" and dissed Sac and Vlade Divac in a freestyle song over a ringtone on his phone back in 2002.

The verbal back-and-forth made for good theater and added another layer of intrigue for their matchups. Fans went all out, cheering every time the Lakers came into town, so much so that Jackson could barely hear himself at the Arco Arena during timeouts.

"I had some guys near the bench [in Sacramento], we had a jocular relationship. They brought cowbells. They brought an electric bell attached to a battery to let them have that amplified sound," Jackson recalled. "It was a pretty loud arena even during a timeout. I had to move guys away from the bench onto the floor to talk to them. It was a way of kind of diverting attention away from Shaq or some of the players that would get harassed. 

"But it was in good fun. The people in Sacramento understood it as good fun, too," he added.

Related: Dwyane Wade says the Steph Curry–Under Armour split shows how much the sneaker industry is struggling

Method behind the madness

Jackson engaging in verbal sparring was nothing new; if anything, it was a calculated move. It was similar to a fisherman throwing bait into the ocean so that the media sharks had something to focus on.

That's exactly what the legendary coach did, according to Lakers reserve guard Devean George.

"He's a master coach as far as how he hides our weaknesses and exposes the other team's weaknesses. And he just knows how to deal with the media and get them worried about other things. He's very good at hiding what he really wants," George said.

Again, like the film session shenanigans he pulled, likening Adelman to Hitler, it ultimately worked out for L.A. The media people feasted on the back-and-forth and had Sacramento, including the players, in an uproar. He played the arrogant prick role to perfection, only because he did not want to talk about the flaws of his team, especially their lack of depth.

All the noise really served its purpose. Jackson stirred the pot so that the spotlight was focused on him and whoever he dissed on the other team, bending the media attention to his advantage. The Kings and the entire city of Sacramento took the bait, and the Lakers got exactly what they needed.

Related: Bubba Wallace says NASCAR boss Michael Jordan is nothing like his Bulls tyrant persona

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.