Shaquille O’Neal, despite being more embraced by our brains as a Laker, played for six different teams through his entire career.
His significant years were spent in Orlando, Los Angeles, and Miami; then his impact, though it was still felt, began to dwindle from Phoenix to Cleveland, and eventually being forced by his body to retire in Boston.
O’Neal had to deal with countless of personalities, be it teammates, coaches, or front office people. But one man stands out in the last category, and that is current Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
O’Nea’ revealed this as part of his Hall of Fame acceptance speech Friday.
“After Miami, I played in Phoenix. I'd like to thank Steve Kerr. He was the first general manager to call me and say I was being traded. All the other times, I found out from loud-ass Stephen A. Smith on ESPN.”
Considering the lineup of front office people that O’Neal had worked with in the past, Kerr’s mention speaks volumes on how he goes about with people management. Perhaps, part of the Warriors’ success can be attributed to that aspect of Kerr’s leadership.
Shaquille O’Neal played in 103 games for the Suns wherein he averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
In the summer of 2009, he was shipped from the desert to cold Northeast Ohio, joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a 2010 second round pick, and some cash.
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