"It wasn't Michael; it wasn't Kobe" - George Karl reveals toughest player to prepare against

George Karl coached against great players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in his 27-year career, but they are not the toughest players he had to prepare against.

On the "Scoop B Radio" with Brandon "Scoop B." Robinson, Karl revealed that Shaquille O'Neal was the player he found toughest to develop a plan against.

"People ask me, 'Who's the most difficult guy I've ever had to prepare for?' It wasn't Michael; it wasn't Kobe. It was Shaq. Most teams don't have an answer for Shaq other than hope he doesn't show up," Karl said.

George Karl didn't have to prepare for Shaquille O'Neal until his sixth year as an NBA coach and second in charge of the Seattle SuperSonics. Moreover, he didn't have to prepare much for Shaq because he primarily played for teams in the other conference.

O'Neal was a dominant force even as a rookie. His size, strength and agility for his frame were out of the world, making him an unstoppable player for most of his career. It's also one of the reasons why he won four NBA championships.

As for George Karl, he only led a team to the NBA Finals once in his coaching career – the 1996 SuperSonics with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. They lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games as Jordan won his fourth NBA title in six seasons.

Karl compiled a 1,175-824 record as head coach.

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Shaquille O'Neal once got personal with George Karl in the 1998 NBA playoffs

After masterminding the Seattle SuperSonics' victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, George Karl was not happy with the officiating involving Shaquille O'Neal. Karl coached the SuperSonics to a 106-92 victory but was not fond of O'Neal allegedly throwing elbows and not being called for traveling.

O'Neal was upset with Karl's comments and went off on the then-Sonics coach.

"I don't understand how a person cries before a series even started. He looks like a woman coach sometimes. I guess he's just trying to get into certain people's heads, but it won't work with me. Like a woman who coaches and cries all the time. He can't get in my head. He's a crybaby," O'Neal said. [H/T CBS Sports]

O'Neal and the LA Lakers had the last laugh, as they won the next four games to eliminate the Sonics in five. They went on to the Western Conference finals, where they got swept by the Utah Jazz. It took two more years for Shaq to lift his first championship.