Let’s face it…nobody in their right mind would ever try to threaten Shaquille O’Neal. We’re guessing the man can pretty well take care of himself. But professionally? Apparently, that’s another matter.
On Fox Sports Radio recently, Shaq told host Chris Broussard that Los Angeles Lakers front office management told him that if the Lakers didn’t win the 2004 NBA Finals series against the Detroit Pistons, he’d be traded.
Shaq told Broussard: “It was told to me [by the Lakers management] that if we don’t win the series [2004 NBA Finals vs. Detroit Pistons] I’m out of there.”
Surprised, Broussard followed up by asking about the timing of the “threat.” Before the series even started? Again, here’s Shaq: “Yes, from somebody upstairs in the office, ‘Hey, if you don’t win this series, they’re looking to make changes’… I knew once we lost that it was time for me to do something else.”
Even with the Lakers riding high and racking up plenty of playoff and Finals wins in bunches, the series against the Pistons was never going to be a cakewalk. After all, this was a team that featured the likes of big-time stars such as Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Wallace.
Turns out Detroit won the Championship that year, in five games. By the summer of 2004, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a first round pick.
Basketball history is full of stories about a “feud” at the time between Shaq and Kobe Bryant. Shaq has said that while there were a few rough moments, his relationship with Kobe was good, and got better and better over time. Shaq’s son Shareef was the last person Kobe communicated with (via text) before the tragic accident that claimed the lives of Kobe, his daughter and several others.
After moving to Miami, Shaq, D Wade and the Heat won the NBA title two years later. The big man ended his career in 2011 after short stints with Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.