Shaquille O’Neal spent nearly two decades in the NBA. During that span, he played for six teams: the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Obviously his stints with those organizations varied in terms of longevity, but O’Neal still got to play alongside a lot of players.
During a recent session of Inside the NBA, O’Neal got very honest about who his favorite teammate was.
And it caught some folks off guard.
“My favorite guy to play with was Rick Fox,” O’Neal said.
“Certain games, ‘Hey man, I need you to be in the corner, hit that shot.’ Other games you not getting a shot but I need to stop Stojakovic, I need you to stay in front of Penny Hardaway and these guys, and he was able to adjust.”
O’Neal’s LA teams were stacked with top-tier talent, so it’s funny that his favorite teammate was a role player like Fox. That said, Fox undeniably played his role well.
While Kobe Bryant wasn’t O’Neal’s favorite teammate ever, he is the one the big man is most associated with. Not long ago, O’Neal got brutally honest about their relationship in a way he hadn’t before. It was a fascinating listen.
Big picture, O’Neal has taken a more introspective view of the NBA in recent years. Whether he is going off on current Lakers or revealing his favorite player in the NBA today – hearing someone pick his brain is always fascinating.
What fun insights will O’Neal ultimately drop next? Time will tell.
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