On one of the recent episodes of “The Big Podcast with Shaq”, Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion, Shaquille O’Neal revealed if there had been acceptance of a super team in the league during the time he played he would have joined Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago Bulls.
He further discussed how the league underwent changes since his time and things were different back then. According to Fadeaway World, the fifteen-time NBA All-Star, stated, “If we knew that was acceptable, probably a lot of us would have switched up. If I knew that was acceptable I would have just went to Chicago. If I knew that was acceptable, I would have went and played with the Spurs. If I knew that was okay I would have went and played with a team that was almost there, like Utah.”
He further continued, “We always thought like, ‘No, you’re the man. You the guy. You gotta get it done. You gotta say, you gotta make trades, you got to do this. You can’t (leave)’ And I think he (Kevin Durant) did it before it was acceptable. It’s acceptable now, people just ‘I want to go here, I want to do this. Oh hey, you play on this team, you play on this team, let’s get on this team and create a Big Three. But again, if I knew that was acceptable, I just would have went and played with Mike.”
Shaquille O'Neal: "If Superteams Were Acceptable, I Would've Joined Michael Jordan In Chicago" https://t.co/GhuzNLxWWm
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 28, 2024
O’Neal was selected in the 1992 NBA Draft in the first round as the first overall pick by Orlando Magic and left the Magic squad and joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. However, he did not join a roster that had top-notch players.
During that time the Lakers were looking for a star player and then icon Kobe Bryant was drafted. If the three-time NBA Finals MVP was going for the win he could have better options and it was not known that Kobe was going to become the face of the Lakers and a legend later.
O’Neal would have shifted to Chicago Bulls if this were possible back then and could have joined the squad who were the defending champions. His joining Jordan would have led to the Bulls achieving incredible feats but this couldn’t happen.
The three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP also revealed the teams he would like to join, taking his hypothetical teaming up further and expressing, “So, it’s supposed to be about competition. If I knew it was okay to join people, f*** I would have joined the Bulls.”
“I would have played with Mike (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen) and then I would have left them and played in my hometown San Antonio with the Spurs. But, nah, I was like, nope. I want to beat all these guys.”
