Shaquille O’Neal Rumors

Magic To Retire Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 Jersey

January 4th, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal will be the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Magic, the team announced in a press release. O’Neal’s No. 32 will be retired on February 13 following Orlando’s game vs. Oklahoma City.

“When someone asks who was the first player to officially put the Orlando Magic on the map, the answer is simple – Shaquille O’Neal,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “He took this franchise to new heights, both on and off the court, and his legacy is still felt within our organization today. On behalf of the DeVos family, we are excited to honor Shaquille by raising #32 into the rafters of the Kia Center, where it will remain forever.”

O’Neal spent his first four NBA seasons with the Magic, averaging 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 blocks in 295 regular season games (37.8 MPG). He led Orlando to its first NBA Finals appearance in 1995, during his third season.

O’Neal was inducted into the Magic’s Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Basketball Hall of Fame the next year. Despite the brief nature of his stint with the franchise, he was absolutely dominant during his tenure with Orlando, which included a Rookie of the Year award, four All-Star appearances and three All-NBA nods.

The 51-year-old big man will be the third player to have his jersey retired by three teams, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The Lakers retired O’Neal’s No. 34 in 2013, and the Heat retired his No. 32 in 2016. He won three championships with L.A. and one with Miami.

And-Ones: Bronny, LeBron, Shaq, Bacon, Vaughn

November 20th, 2023 at 10:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bronny James took another step toward making his collegiate debut on Sunday, as he warmed up with his USC teammates prior to a game for the first time this season, according to an ESPN report. LeBron’s son suffered cardiac arrest in July during a team workout.

“He went through warmups with the team. He’s a big part of our program and our team. He’s a terrific teammate,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “We look forward to hopefully one day getting him back on the court, but when that day is, that’s not my decision. We’re going to be patient and go through the process.”

Bronny was considered a potential first-round pick prior to his health issues.

We have more from around the basketball team:

Shaquille O’Neal has previously expressed he’d like to own a piece of an NBA franchise in Las Vegas if the league expands there. He hinted that LeBron James might also be part of the ownership group, according to Sportando’s Alessandro Maggi. “If there’s ever an NBA team coming here, I’d definitely like to be involved,” O’Neal said. “With LeBron, without LeBron, I just want to be involved.”
Former NBA wing Dwayne Bacon has signed with China’s Shanghai Sharks, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Bacon played in Greece last season and also joined an Israeli team for three exhibition games in the U.S. this fall. The former second-round pick’s last NBA campaign was in 2020/21 with Orlando.
Former first-round pick Rashad Vaughn has signed a contract with Greece’s Apollon Patras BC, Sportando relays. Vaughn, who was drafted by the Bucks with the No. 17 pick in 2015, spent the 2022/23 season in the NBA G League with the Cavaliers’ affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. His last taste of NBA action came in 2017/18, when he played a combined 28 games with Milwaukee, Orlando and Brooklyn.

And-Ones: Shaq, Kidd-Gilchrist, Israel, Brown, Colson, Williamson

October 9th, 2023 at 10:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hall of Fame center and TNT commentator Shaquille O’Neal wants a piece of a Las Vegas franchise if the NBA expands there, he told Arash Markazi of TheMessenger.com.

“I would like to have my own group,” O’Neal said. “I know Vegas hasn’t been awarded an NBA team yet but if they ever get to a point where they are awarded a team, I would like to be a part of that. I don’t want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself.”

Well, he’ll need some partners — O’Neal’s worth is reportedly around $400MM. NBA franchises are selling in the billions. O’Neal adds that he’s lived in the city for over 20 years and wants to see it continue to grow.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

The Knicks waived Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in December 2020 and he never played in the NBA again. New details have surfaced regarding Kidd-Gilchrist’s sudden disappearance from the league, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports. According to a lawsuit filed in a Charlotte court, the reason is a COVID-19-related heart condition that should have made Kidd-Gilchrist eligible for a insurance payout. Kidd-Gilchrist sued London-based insurance company Lloyd’s Underwriters for $40MM for refusing to pay him after a diagnosis of “myopericarditis,” an inflammation of the heart muscle. Another doctor “found” by Lloyd’s Underwriters claimed Kidd-Gilchrist suffered from a different heart ailment and wasn’t “disabled under the policy,” according to the lawsuit.
FIBA Europe has suspended all games involving Israeli teams in all competitions until further notice due to the war in that country and safety issues at those games, Sportando relays. The suspension includes all upcoming home and away games of five Israeli teams in EuroCup Women and the FIBA Europe Cup.
In a related topic, foreign players on Maccabi Tel Aviv have left the country for Cyprus, according to another Sportando post. That group includes ex-NBA players Lorenzo Brown and Bonzie Colson.
Which five players will define this season? According to The Ringer’s Michael Pina, that group includes the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson and the Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis.

Suns Notes: Bridges, C. Johnson, Landale, Okogie, Shaq

October 1st, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mikal Bridges will be running the Suns‘ offense more often and Cameron Johnson will see time in that role as well, writes Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. Coach Monty Williams believes Chris Paul was worn down by the end of last season and sees this as a way to save wear and tear on his 37-year-old point guard.

“Those guys have the ability to facilitate, and I just haven’t given them the chance,” Williams said. “We’ve talked about being comfortable with uncomfortable change. There’s gonna be times where it doesn’t look great, but I think that’s where they’re gonna grow. … They both have the capability to expand the offense that way and that part is exciting when you think about those opportunities.”

Bridges, who finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, welcomes the opportunity to add another dimension to his game. He hasn’t missed a single contest in his first four NBA seasons, and Johnson said they worked out together every day during the summer at the Suns’ practice facility.

“I think he’s just improved all around,” Johnson said. “I mean ball-handling, shooting, being able to create, getting stronger in the weight room. It wasn’t that we’re going to get better at one specific thing. I thought we got better as basketball players, and he’s playing really well right now.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

After being traded twice this offseason, Jock Landale is confident that he’s found a home with the Suns, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix acquired the 26-year-old center from the Hawks in July for cash considerations. “It’s a hell of an organization,” Landale said. “The people in here are high character people and as far as finding enjoyment, I always go home and talk with my fiancée and my parents and mates about the level of passion and commitment and joy I’m getting out of the game right now is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
Josh Okogie will likely miss the entire preseason with a strained left hamstring, Rankin adds. Okogie, who signed as a free agent after spending the past four years in Minnesota, will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal tells TMZ Sports that he would be interested in partnering with Jeff Bezos if the Amazon founder decides to make a bid for the Suns.

Kings Notes: Holmes, Davis, O’Neal, McNair

August 9th, 2021 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

When word of Richaun Holmes‘ new four-year contract agreement with the Kings first broke last week, his agency told Shams Charania of The Athletic that the deal was worth $55MM. That raised some eyebrows among cap experts, since that amount was significantly higher than what Sacramento could have realistically given Holmes using his Early Bird rights and the team didn’t have cap room available to get up to that number.

As it turns out, the $55MM figure was indeed a case of some very generous “rounding.” As Keith Smith of Spotrac confirms (via Twitter), the Kings gave Holmes the maximum they could using his Early Bird rights, which works out to about $46.52MM.

As we learned last week, the final year of the deal is a player option and it includes a 15% trade kicker. That trade bonus would increase Holmes’ earnings over the next four years if the Kings move him at some point, but even if they were to trade him as soon as he becomes eligible this season, he’d still fall short of $55MM.

Here’s more on the Kings:

Terence Davis‘ new two-year, $8MM deal with the Kings has fully guaranteed cap hits of $4MM in each season, with no options, tweets Smith.
Shaquille O’Neal has been named a brand ambassador for WynnBET and, as a result, will have to divest himself of his small ownership stake in the Kings, tweets Joe Pompliano of ReadHuddleUp.com. In his breakdown of the situation, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area says it’s possible O’Neal is part of the group of investors reported last month to be selling their 5% stake in the franchise to Dyal Capital.
In case you missed it, a report this morning suggested that Kings GM Monte McNair may be feeling some pressure to make a major addition to the roster, with Ben Simmons and Pascal Siakam among the players on his radar.

Southeast Notes: Wizards’ Bench, Hawks’ FO, Winslow

May 21st, 2017 at 10:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards fell just shy of the Celtics in their Eastern Conference Semifinal showdown and now must look at ways to improve if they hope to take the next step as a potential contender. One place they can start, point guard John Wall tells Chris Miller of CSN Mid-Atlantic, is with their bench.

“I think we have to add pieces to help our bench,” the Wizards All-Star said. “Just to be honest I think that’s been our downfall.”

While Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 27.2 and 24.8 respective points per game this postseason, mid-season trade acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic was their most potent reserve averaging a modest 8.8 points per game.

Brandon Jennings, another mid-season Wizards target charged with the task of jump-starting the second unit, posted averages of just 2.8 points and 1.8 assists per game in the playoffs.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Hawks have interviewed Wizards VP of basketball operations, Tommy Sheppard and Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk in their ongoing search for a new executive, Marc Stein of ESPN writes.
A recent profile from the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman features Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon‘s and his background scouting internationally.
The Celtics may have offered a first-round pick to the Heat in exchange for Justise Winslow back on draft night in 2015 but it wasn’t the Nets pick, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel clarifies.
A column by George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel draws comparisons between Lonzo Ball and Shaquille O’Neal, citing the overbearing presence of their respective father figures.
The Magic have several options that could realistically be available to them at the No. 6 pick, including De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel breaks them down.

And-Ones: Davis, Pacers, Clippers, Warriors

September 8th, 2016 at 9:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis has been medically cleared to play, according to the team’s official website in news that was passed along by ESPN.com’s Justin Verrier. Davis participated in his first scrimmage on Wednesday and GM Dell Demps said at a season-ticket holder event that Davis is expected to start the season without any restrictions, Verrier adds. Davis’ 2015/16 season ended prematurely because of a left knee injury. He underwent an ultrasonic debridement and received an injection of his own bone marrow March 25.

In other news around the league:

Nick Zeisloft’s training camp deal with the Pacers includes a $25K guarantee, league sources told Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com. Zeisloft’s one-year, rookie minimum contract allows the Pacers to retain his rights for D-League purposes, Agness adds. The signing of the 6’4” shooting guard was somewhat surprising, considering he only averaged 6.5 points with the Indiana Hoosiers last season and wasn’t on the Pacers’ summer league teams.
The Clippers have hired Monte Mathis as a scout under new GM Lawrence Frank, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). Mathis was previously an assistant coach with the Mavericks and Magic.
Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t see the Lakers becoming playoff contenders any time soon, he told Bill Oram of the Orange County Register and other reporters during Hall of Fame weekend. “I mean, they’ve still got to go up against Golden State in the West, they’ve got to go up against OKC, still got to go up against Cleveland, the Rockets. So they have a long way to go to be a contender,” O’Neal said. “Every now and then they’ll make some noise and get the people in the Staples Center excited.”
Warriors rookie center Damian Jones is showing progress from a pectoral injury but is unlikely to be healthy enough to participate at the start of training camp, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Jones, who suffered the injury in June, has begun to lift weights, Slater adds. The 7-footer was the 30th overall pick in the draft.

Heat Notes: Arison, Bosh, Shaq, Reed

September 2nd, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Don’t read too much into Heat owner Micky Arison’s “look forward to seeing in camp” tweet to Chris Bosh, cautions Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Bosh was expected in camp regardless of his immediate playing status, and he still must pass a team physical before being cleared for any action. Bosh’s health and future with the Heat remain uncertain after missing the end of the past two seasons with blood clots, and Winderman suggests that Miami has few options with the veteran power forward and his hefty contract unless there is “an overwhelming consensus” that his NBA career is over.

There’s more news out of Miami:

Bosh may have looked impressive in his on-line workouts, but the Heat need to see him in a contact situation before making a decision on his ability to play with or without medication, Winderman writes in a separate story. That’s why it would be helpful to the team if he is cleared to participate in training camp.
Heat president Pat Riley calls the trade that brought Shaquille O’Neal to Miami in 2004 the most important move in franchise history, Winderman relays in another piece. O’Neal, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame tonight, came to Miami in 2004 in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and two draft picks. He led the Heat to the 2006 title before being traded to Phoenix two years later. “I’ll say this, and I mean this,” Riley said. “Shaq’s acquisition was bigger than any acquisition that we ever made, including the Big Three.”
After appearing in just 39 games with the Nets during his rookie season, Willie Reed hopes he has found the right situation in Miami, according to Joe Beguiristain of NBA.com. The 6’10” power forward signed with the Heat in July, accepting a two-year minimum-salary deal with a player option for the second season. Beguiristain notes that Reed often produced when given an opportunity, and scored 14 points to go with eight rebounds and four blocks in a March 5th game against Minnesota.

Pacific Rumors: Bryant, Kings, Rivers

August 31st, 2015 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant addressed their previous feuds as Lakers teammates and made it clear they now have an amicable relationship during a podcast hosted by O’Neal and his co-host John Kincade, with the transcript posted on the team’s website. O’Neal declared that his disagreements with Bryant gave both of them motivation to play their best. “I just want to clear the air and let everyone know that: No, I don’t hate you,” O’Neal said. “We had a lot of disagreements. We had a lot of arguments. But I think it fueled us.” Bryant reflected that his issues with O’Neal made him understand how to handle future problems with teammates. “To me, the most important thing was really to just keep your mouth shut. You don’t need to go to the press with stuff,” he said. “You keep it internal. We have our arguments and our disagreements, but I think having our debates within the press was something I wish would have been avoided. … But I enjoyed playing with him. I had a great, great, great time playing with him, and I appreciate it to this day.”

In other news around the Pacific Division:

The Lakers will “probably” sign one to three more players before training camp, a league source told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. That will apparently include Marcelo Huertas, who agreed to a one-year deal with the club on Monday. Metta World Peace has also discussed a contract with the team, Medina adds.
Vlade Divac has been named Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Kings amid a number of front office personnel moves announced by the club via the team’s website. Divac had been hired in March as the club’s VP of Basketball and Franchise Operations. Mike Bratz has been named Assistant GM, Roland Beech was hired as VP of Basketball Strategy and Data Science and former Kings player Peja Stojakovic was announced as Director of Player Personnel and Development.
Austin Rivers has signed with ASM Sports, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (Twitter link). Andy Miller and Andrew Vye will represent the Clippers guard. Earlier in the day, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported that Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan had dropped Relativity Sports agents Dan Fegan and Jarinn Akana as his representatives.

Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Celtics, Blake

July 10th, 2015 at 6:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Shane Larkin, who recently inked a two-year, $3MM deal with the Nets, believes his career was stalled by the Knicks‘ triangle offense during the 2014/15 season, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “[The triangle] just wasn’t the best fit for me,” Larkin said. “It’s a good system but I’m a pick-and-roll point guard. That’s how I got in the NBA, playing pick-and-roll in college. That’s how I got here and now being back in a system where I can play the pick-and-roll and just getting in the lane, create for others, shoot my floater, and do a bunch of other things.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets still haven’t made a decision regarding whether the team will attempt to negotiate a buyout with point guard Steve Blake or keep him on the roster, Bondy adds. “I know we have a lot of guys at the point guard position. That’ll be resolved hopefully in the next month, eliminate, so hopefully we won’t have as many going to camp,” GM Billy King said.
The Knicks signed Derrick Williams for less than initially thought, as he’ll get $8.8MM over two years, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Thaddeus Young has a 15% trade kicker in his deal with the Nets, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
DeMarre Carroll‘s four-year deal with the Raptors comes to $58MM total, notes Pincus (Twitter link).
The Celtics have officially renounced their rights to Shaquille O’Neal, Stephon Marbury, Michael Olowokandi, Michael Finley, Carlos Arroyo, Nenad Krstic, P.J. Brown, and Scot Pollard, which in turn removes their cap holds, Pincus notes (Twitter links). These moves drop Boston below the salary cap line for the first time in nearly 20 years, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Boston also loses any form of Bird Rights to these players, though that is a mere formality since it is highly unlikely any of them would be suiting up for the team in the future.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.