During the 1999 offseason, West and Lakers owner Jerry Buss agreed to sign the then six-time NBA champion Phil Jackson to a five-year $30 million contract to be the team's new head coach entering the 1999–2000 season. Buss was previously a believer in spending conservatively on coaches, but O'Neal and Bryant had both encouraged West to hire Jackson. Jackson decided that the offense would revolve around O'Neal, who would be given responsibility to distribute the ball. Jackson also wanted better leadership, physical conditioning, and defense from O'Neal. The coach chose to develop a close relationship with O'Neal and not Bryant. Jackson calculated that O'Neal's personality craved such a relationship. Bryant missed the season's first 15 games due to a broken right wrist, allowing the team to focus on O'Neal as Jackson had planned. The results of Jackson's hiring were promising, as the Lakers amassed a 67–15 record (one of the best records in league history). O'Neal led the league in scoring, averaging 29.7 points per game, and he won his first NBA Most Valuable Player Award. During the playoffs, the Lakers fought off the eighth-seeded Sacramento Kings in five games, and then defeated the Phoenix Suns in the second round, four games to one.