You thought Shaquille O’Neal retired from the court to a cushy studio and stayed there? There was speculation that he was close to following the Dennis Rodman route over a decade ago. 13 years since retiring from the NBA, Shaq is in Mexico. And he’s dishing on the near-opportunity to revive his playing career he once had, right here in Mexico. While promoting Reebok, O’Neal confirmed that the rumors a decade ago weren’t so groundless at all.

TNT made a pitch to a freshly-retired Shaq in 2011 and within a few months, he debuted on Inside the NBA, replacing Reggie Miller on the panel with Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. But a return was not off the cards yet. Rumors were rife that Shaq was getting overseas offers, one of them from Fuerza Regia. Now we know it was no myth.

“Yeah. Somebody asked me to go play there and I was going to come and I forget what exactly happened but yeah, that’s true,” he told a Mexican news outlet.

So even Shaq doesn’t remember what broke down the deal. Perhaps he changed his mind and chose to stay at TNT or the deal was off the table. Who knows! But certain people who reported Fuerza Regia’s interest in the Big Aristotle are probably feeling vindicated.

Marcelo Bousquet of ESPN Deportes reported that Shaquille O’Neal, a 19-year NBA veteran, could play a couple of games (not a whole season) of the 2012-13 season of the Mexican Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional League. Regia’s team president Sergio Ganem also said he was in talks with O’Neal. The Lakers had announced they were retiring his jersey at the same time. But things worked out differently.

Mexico welcomes Shaq

It’s not unusual for NBA players to end up overseas, including in the Mexican league. Dennis Rodman previously went platinum blonde and played a few games in 2004 for the Fuerza Regia. But while the team saw a few minutes across three games of Rodman, it never saw Shaq.

Injuries could’ve been a factor in this deal falling through. His final NBA season with the Celtics was shortened due to injuries. One game, he was on the court for less than a minute and injured his leg.

O’Neal is getting his dreams fulfilled in other ways. Growing up in San Antonio, he was close to the Mexican culture and he’s reliving it in his return to Mexico. This time he’s the president of Reebok basketball, promoting the brand’s expansion here.

In true O’Neal fashion, he gave out free sneakers to 500 kids and was overwhelmed by the emotions it elicited. He also flaunted his home in Mexico City. Mexico also reciprocated the love. And if Shaq wants to come out of retirement, Mexico would welcome it.