Four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal Reveals His Desire to Own NBA Franchise

NBA Champion and 2000 NBA MVP Shaquille O’Neal expressed his plan to own an NBA team. As per the reports, he showed interest to buy the Phoenix Suns.
The eight-time NBA First Teamer said with raised eyebrows when Becky Anderson inquired about his plans:
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say.
“It’d probably be disrespectful to say it, but I would like to go back home. I’ll leave that to the viewers to figure out [what it means]. I would like to go back home.
O’Neal went to high school in San Antonio, Texas, the home of the Spurs; he attended LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He signed his first professional contract in Orlando, the home of the Magic; and in Los Angeles, where the Lakers won a renowned three-peat, as he and fellow NBA legend Kobe Bryant did.
O’Neal was in Abu Dhabi for the highly anticipated preseason NBA games between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, the first time the premier basketball league had ever played in the Gulf. The Atlanta Hawks won both games at the crowded 18,000-seat Etihad Arena.
The upcoming NBA season will be the first one to be played abroad after Covid-19 pandemic since 2019.
As we discussed few days ago, Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James has been vocal about owning an NBA franchise. LeBron told NBA Commissioner Adam Silver that he aims to introduce a team to Las Vegas.
O’Neal praised LeBron’s efforts and said:
“LeBron – and his team – has done a fabulous job. He’s a great businessman. [I’m] jealous of LeBron in this sense. He’s about to do something that hasn’t been done in 20, or 30 years. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment.
O’Neal’s resume is not something to laugh at, even though James plans to keep securing his place on basketball’s Mount Rushmore. The former Laker was a part of the NBA’s Top 50 and 75 players to celebrate its 50th and 75th anniversaries. He is a four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, and a former Laker. O’Neal attributes a portion of his on-court success to his parents, who he claims kept him humble while establishing a love for the game in him as a child.
The NBA 2022-23 season will start with a doubleheader on October 18. Boston Celtics will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in their opening match before the defending champion Golden State Warriors faces Los Angeles Lakers.