13 months after $25,000,000 Admission, Shaquille O’Neal Breaks Silence on Possible NBA Return

It is not unheard of for successful sports stars to don a coach’s hat after their playing stint has ended. Things are no different in the NBA, as the hoops world has seen many players expanding their trophy cabinets as a coach. Given his Championship pedigree and deep knowledge of the game, it would not be surprising at all if Shaquille O’Neal were ever to return to the NBA as a coach. A year back, O’Neal had revealed his interest in picking up the role of a coach. Shaq recently provided an update on his potential involvement in the NBA once again.

Now that the Toronto Raptors are looking for a coach and the Phoenix Suns have sacked their head coach, the league is in high demand for quality coaches. Meanwhile, O’Neal has now broken his silence on a possible NBA return and whether he still wishes to don a coach’s hat.

Shaquille O’Neal opens up about the possibilities of his NBA return

A year back, when the going got tough for the Los Angeles Lakers, they started a pursuit to set things right. The first move was to let their then head coach Frank Vogel go. Having won a three-peat with the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal saw that he had an opportunity to help the Lakers and earn a fortune at the same time. The 4x-NBA champion declared that he will coach the Lakers if they sign him for a $25 million per season contract for four years. This, however, has become a story of the past. Now, Shaq has once again opened up about his NBA hopes.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Shaquille O’Neal was asked if somebody has requested him to coach an NBA side. “I probably wouldn’t be able to coach. I have an old-school mentality—Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, the great Gregg Popovich–type mentality. I don’t think I would be able to relate to the new generation. I’ve coached my son in AAU, and we won a championship. It was actually very fun, but never again,” Shaq replied. Though the Diesel gave up his plans to coach, he does have another NBA dream in mind.

Shaquille O’Neal’s new NBA wish

Shaquille O’Neal has made it clear that he has got no intention to coach an NBA team. However, he revealed that he wants to own a franchise in the league. Shaq revealed that the team he wants to own is based in Florida. The interviewer immediately asked O’Neal if the owner of the Miami Heat is selling. Shaq said he is not interested in the Heat. The interviewer was quick to bring up the other Florida team, the Orlando Magic in the picture. Shaq then said that if his rookie team is ever for sale, he ‘wants to be the guy’ who buys them.

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An year after getting candid on his interest to coach, O’Neal has now let out another wish. Coach or owner, Shaq always eyes a possible return to sides which were once his home. Fans will now undoubtedly be waiting to know whether Shaq will return to the place where it all started.

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