Shaquille O’Neal recently revealed his reasons for helping the Miami Heat win the 2006 NBA title. Back in 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to keep Kobe Bryant and part ways with O’Neal by trading him to Miami. Despite the big man’s efforts to help the Lakers achieve a three-peat, it was Bryant who the organization felt they should proceed with. Given these factors, it fueled Shaq to prove to his former team that he didn’t need them to achieve success.
In a recent episode of The OGs Show, O’Neal spilled the truth about how Pat Riley formed a championship-winning team. Apparently, Riley gave Shaq a couple of options to keep him happy to play for Miami. Either the ‘Big Diesel’ would receive a $120 million contract or he would take less money for the team to be able to acquire the necessary pieces to help them win a title. While Shaq could’ve taken the money, his desire to win one more ring before Bryant was stronger.
“Pat [Riley] came in and he said “Shaq, I love you. I can give you the whole [$120 million] and we can have nobody or I can give you [$100 million]. Get [Udonis Haslem] some more money, I can bring in [James] Posey, I can bring in [Gary Payton], I can bring in all ’em guys,” O’Neal said.”
“And I was like, “You know what, I need to win. … I gotta win one before [Kobe Bryant] get one.” So yeah, f**k it. I got enough money, I got the biggest house, I’ll do it and that’s what I did. So you know for me, it’s not about money, it’s about maximizing your potential, if you got the ability to do more, I’m always trying to do more.”
Looking at Shaquille O’Neal’s impact on the Miami Heat leading up to their title run
Back in 2006, Shaquille O’Neal helped a young Dwyane Wade win his first NBA title, which also marked the big man’s fourth title reign in the NBA. While Wade was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP, there’s no denying that Shaq played a prominent role in their path to winning the championship.
It was clear that the ‘Big Diesel’ took a step back from the spotlight. But it didn’t mean that he no longer put an effort to help his team win. Throughout the 2005-06 regular season, O’Neal averaged 20.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. His numbers weren’t too far off from Wade’s 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. The duo of Shaq and Wade helped the Heat secure the second seed in the 2006 NBA Playoffs with a 52-30 record.
Ultimately, it was Wade who put on a remarkable performance in the NBA Finals averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in six games against the Dallas Mavericks. But if it wasn’t for O’Neal supporting the ‘Flash’ and taking a pay cut to acquire the necessary talent to help them win, Miami’s story could’ve ended differently that season.
