Shaquille O’Neal’s nearly two-decade career in the NBA saw him play for six different teams, but his move to the Miami Heat in 2004 was one of the most significant. After winning three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team traded Shaq to the Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a future first-round pick.
When O’Neal arrived in Miami, his primary focus was to win the franchise’s first championship. However, before anything could be set in motion, Heat President Pat Riley wanted to gauge Shaq’s mindset and priorities.
Riley asked if Shaq was more interested in securing a max contract or if he would be willing to take a pay cut to help build a championship-caliber team. On the OGs podcast with Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, Shaq recounted the moment.
“Pat came to me and said, ‘I can give you the whole $120 million, and we can have nobody. Or I can give you $100 million, get UD [Haslem] some more money, and bring in Posey, GP [Gary Payton], and the other guys,‘” Shaq said.
“I was like, ‘I need to win. You know what I’m hearing. I gotta win one before old boy [Kobe Bryant] gets one. I got enough money; I got the biggest house. I’ll do it,’” he added.
In 2005, O’Neal signed a five-year, $101 million contract with the Heat. Just one year later, he led the team to their first-ever NBA championship by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 95-92.
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Shaquille O’Neal Challenged Pat Riley’s Rules With A $41K Gesture
On the OGs podcast, O’Neal also shared another story of Pat Riley. He recalled Riley’s attempt to implement a curfew for the team during road games, hoping to keep his players focused.
The car lover Shaq, however, had other ideas, as the team had been performing well. He shared that, like him, many players felt that a curfew wasn’t necessary.
“I’m the first guy to convince Pat to break his ways. We were winning; we’re playing well. Listen, we’re gonna stay out. So Pat came to us one day and said, `We’re going to give you curfew, and if you break curfew, it’s $1,000,”‘ Shaq said.
“I went to his office with a check for $41,000. I’m a grown man; that’s just not going to happen,” he added.
Shaq played for the Heat till 2008 before joining the Phoenix Suns. In those seasons with the Heat, he averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal Once Admitted He Used To Hate Celtics Legend Larry Bird For THIS Reason.
