“Bruh I’m 30 Plus. I Can’t Go Through This”: Former NBA All-Star Gave up the Opportunity to Play with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade Because of His Love for Oreos

It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to play with some of the best players of your generation. While teaming up with great players increases your chance of winning it all, some people are not so desperate to win. That was the case with former six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal as he gave up the opportunity to play for the Miami Heat with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

The 2010 offseason was a huge summer for the Heat as they acquired not just James, but Chris Bosh as well. The two NBA sensations coupled with Heat stalwart Dwyane Wade formed a very formidable trio in the league. They would go on to reach four consecutive Finals during their time together in Miami.

However, not everyone was excited to be part of that team. Jermaine O’Neal revealed in an interview why he didn’t continue with the team. He said, “They wanted me to re-sign. Like I knew LeBron and them was coming. And this is the realest thing I could tell y’all, they got that 8% body fat for a big guy.”

Miami Heat president, Pat Riley incorporated a strict body fat rule for his players which is applicable to this day. O’Neal continued, “I remember going into the pantry at night, looking at the Oreos, and the Oreos looking at me. Bruh, I am in a full battle daily on what I ate.”

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“I was like, bruh, I’m 30 plus years old, I can’t go through this“, concluded O’Neal. However, O’Neal got his chance to share the court with some legends of the game such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Stephen Curry, and more.

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Jermaine O’Neal was at a declining phase of his career in 2010. After being part of six consecutive All-Star games, O’Neal couldn’t sustain that level of success. He was part of the Miami Heat for the latter half of the 2008-09 season and the 2009-10 season. Meanwhile, LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to take their talents to south beach in 2010 and join Dwyane Wade in Miami.

The Heat would go on to become the best team in the league as they reached four consecutive NBA Finals. However, they could only win two out of those four. Meanwhile, O’Neal retired in 2014 after playing a season for the Golden State Warriors.

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While O’Neal’s decision to leave Miami resulted in him missing out on rings, he was satisfied with his career. Who knows how things might have panned out had he carried on playing for the Heat?