Superstar Hall of Famer and current TV analyst showed off some of those analytic chops recently with an appearance on the late-night Jimmy Kimmel Live show. The big man offered up positive opinions on both Los Angeles teams, the Clippers and his former Lakers. And while Shaq said he still loves the Lakers, and thinks they’re going to have a great next season, he also has some less-than-flattering things to say.
Asked if he would play with any particular team today, including the current Lakers, Shaq turned thumbs down. Kimmel asked which – if any – of the LA teams he’d like to play for today.
“Not one of those teams,” Shaq told the TV audience. “I’m from the era where guys wanted to compete and beat each other. So I would … go on a team that needs a superstar, and I’d teach them guys how to beat the superteams.”
Shaq is in agreement with Las Vegas oddsmakers. According to Caesars Palace, the Clippers and the Lakers are favorite and second-fav to win the 2019-2020 NBA Championship. Odds? The Clippers are at 7-2, while the are 4-1.
Both the Clippers and Lakers have made some really big moves. This past off-season, the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis, pairing the six-time All-Star with four-time NBA MVP LeBron James. Meanwhile, the Clippers added two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard via free agency and six-time All-Star Paul George through a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Back to predictions: Jimmy Kimmel also asked Shaq who did he think would do better next year, Lakers or Clippers. O’Neal didn’t even have to think about it: “Listen, I gotta go with the Lakers,” he said. “However, L.A. has always been a very exciting city, but next year basketball in the city is going to be very exciting. … But I’m Lakers. Purple and Gold ’til I die.”
Kimmel also asked for O’Neal’s take on why Leonard chose the Clippers over the Lakers in free agency. Again, Shaq had a quick and easy answer, giving most of the credit to a man who’s been at the top of the NBA class for years, General Manager Jerry West. “West is the master,” Shaq said. “… Jerry West knows how to read people, and he probably had a conversation with him and was probably just straight up with him.” No doubt. West has won eight NBA titles as an executive with the Lakers and also the Golden State Warriors.
Late-night TV isn’t only place Shaq’s been talking about his former profession. In an interview with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson for the website Heavy.com, Shaq called the move by Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets “coming full circle.” Irving was a boyhood fan of the Nets, watching them back back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
Shaq said the Nets “haven’t been talked about a lot.” That’ll probably change this year, after the Nets added some big pieces. Not just Irving, but also signing Kevin Durant from Golden State and DeAndre Jordan from the crosstown Knicks.
Check out the entire interview with Kimmel by clicking here. Check out his son’s new tattoo!