from his perch on set Inside the NBAShaquille O’Neal has a powerful platform, which he has used to voice his opinion regularly. Over the years he has lashed out at JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard and most recently Donovan Mitchell, who, in 2021, declared O’Neal doesn’t have what it takes to get to the next level. (Okay, when faced with O’Neill’s criticism in the post-match interview, Mitchell replied. O’Neill’s teammate Charles Barkley – no stranger to player criticism – thinks some of today’s players are just too touchy. Does O’Neill agree?
“It’s not that she’s sensitive,” O’Neal says. “I learned a lot from Phil Jackson. I learned from the psychological side that sometimes you have to listen to what I have to say. Never talk about a bad player like me that I don’t like. Just give them advice. Now if you want my advice, great. If you don’t, that’s okay.” It happens. It’s part of the game. It’s part of the ecosystem we lived in. Generous [Abdul-Jabbar] did it for me. I did it for Dwight. But more often than not I say that to help you. If you can’t see it, that’s not my problem.”
This week, O’Neal, in partnership with Icy Hot, opened the renovated fourth basketball court at Shaq’s Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta. It is the fourth renovation that O’Neill has sponsored as part of his business Compaq Court initiative. O’Neill sat down Sports Illustrated to discuss the project, along with other NBA topics.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Sports Illustrated: I saw JJ Reddick interviewed for the Toronto coach job. Did anyone ask you to train?
Shaquille O’Neal: I probably won’t be able to train. I have the old school mentality – Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, the great Gregg Popovich mentality. I don’t think I will be able to relate to the new generation. I trained my son at Al Ain University and we won the championship. It was actually quite fun, but never again.
And the: But has anyone communicated before?
So: No, no one contacted me about coaching, but I still looked forward to becoming an owner, in some way. I am interested in a specific team in Florida.
SI: Is Heat owner Micky Arison selling?
So: It’s not Miami.
SI: Oh, the magic. Your first team. naturally. Are they for sale?
So: I don’t know, but if that’s the case, I want to be the man.
And the: Do you consider yourself sensitive to criticism as a player?
So: Listen, I was sensitive but I just tried to silence you by winning. When I speak, I speak of facts. We are sitting there watching the game. If you want to get to the next round, you have to perform. I know this for a fact because I was one of those guys. I had just as much pressure, even more pressure. When Shaq doesn’t play well, when he doesn’t make a free throw, Shaq gets killed. The name of the game. So you can’t shoot at 30% and then say, “Oh, somebody’s lashing out.” [Michael] Jordan stepped up. [Larry] Bird climbed. Magic Johnson. Ischia [Thomas]. You want to be known as great, you have to step up.
And the: But there was no show like yours when you were a player. How would you feel if Bill Russell came on TV once a week and killed you?
So: I come from military rank and attacker rank. This is Bill Russell. This guy has CIA clearance. Some of us have a presidential pass. So when he says something, I’ll listen to what he’s saying before I go crazy. Karim used to kill me all the time. But I can’t say anything. This cap. This is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So I sit down and read it. How can Shaq be a great player if he hasn’t won any rings yet? Winning the first and second round. bother me. I am moderate? Karim, you never average 38. I average 38. What the hell are you talking about?
But much of the criticism has sincerity in that. So I was able to stop time and listen to the truth and say, “Well, maybe he’s right.” Now, if someone else said that, I’d go, try and punch him in the face. But this is the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I’d like to think I’m a top 50, top 75 player, great big guy. I’d like to think I know what I’m talking about. So you want to take my advice. amazing. But if you don’t, I don’t care.
Right: What frustrated you the most with Careem?
So: When he told the truth. When I was in L.A. doing big stuff, and he said, “Hey, Shaq is a good guy, but maybe he needs to focus more on basketball than free throws.” whichever is correct. He says, “How can they be such a great player when all they do is drift?” I was like, “You know what? Karim might be right.” Have you ever heard me speak badly of Kareem?
but.
So: That’s what I’m saying. Sometimes, if the click request status is related, you just have to take it. If you’re in the Army and a drill sergeant says something to a soldier, he can’t say anything about it. That’s just how things are. Guess what, now I have CIA clearance. I have a G-19 rating. So I have to say what I want to say.
SI: How would you explain Miami? The heat looked terrible in the regular season. Now they are one win away from the conference finals.
So: culture. I’ve been watching them play the last two nights. They are really together. They have a star [Jimmy Butler] This is not acting like a star and sharing the wealth. What they did to each other. It’s like they had a meeting like, “Hey, man, I hurt my ankle. You might not get those two games. I just want you all to play hard.” Although they lost [Wednesday] Night, they’re still coming. Jimmy’s coming over, and everyone’s playing better at home. I love the way Duncan Robinson plays. They are just together. Usually a team, they have one or two guys that they have to focus on, but we have to focus on Jimmy, he kicks the others and he gets the others up.
SI: Jimmy Butler feels like a guy you’d love to play with.
So: Oh, every day, every day. He would have made a lot of money from me. When they doubled me up, I would have kicked him right in. I would kick it right.
SI: I was in Miami when Eric Spoelstra was an assistant. Did you have any idea he would become one of the great NBA coaches?
So: It is very practical. He spent a lot of time watching film, and spent a lot of time analyzing plays, composing new plays. I knew it would be good. I didn’t know it would be this good. He’s done a lot, he’s won trophies, he’s done it his way, he’s been involved in the culture from the start, he’s helped make the culture bigger than it was there.
True: It is not easy for a coach to gain that kind of respect without playing experience.
So: It’s how you treat the stars and how you treat everyone else. You have to earn their respect and they have to earn yours, and that just goes hand in hand.
SI: This is a very cool project for you. I’ve renovated the playgrounds in Las Vegas; Newark, NJ; Miami. And now Atlanta. What’s special about this?
So: This is Compaq’s largest court yet here at the Boys and Girls Club. We just want to give kids the chance to come and play sports and stay out of trouble. So this one has a basketball court, a tennis court, and a racquetball court. We have a lot of kids here at the gym, and a lot of them love being outside. We just want to keep them active, and keep their minds fresh.
SI: Have you embraced the pickleball movement?
So: I’ve had hip surgery, so I’m not even thinking about going side by side. I just like to walk straight.