Shaquille O’Neal spent 19 seasons in the NBA. During his career, he played with several teams. Evidently, he played with some very talented players throughout his time in the league.
O’Neal started his career with the Orlando Magic. Usually, it takes teams a few years to get settled with a new star, but that wasn’t the case with Shaq when he played for the Magic.
One of the biggest reasons for that was the fact that the Magic also had another star on the team in Penny Hardaway. The duo reached the 1995 NBA Finals, albeit lost it. Obviously, most thought it was just the start of the good things for the Magic.
Unfortunately, that was far from the case as Shaq tested the free agency next year and ended up accepting a humongous deal from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shaquille O’Neal Left The Orlando Magic Because He Was Jealous
The Diesel has never shied from expressing his emotions. Be it today as an NBA analyst or during his younger days when he was trying to make a name for himself.
Anyway, coming back to the topic, many still wonder why Shaq and Penny didn’t continue their partnership. Well, Shaq once admitted the reason behind his reason for leaving the Magic.
Via EssentiallySports:
“At the end of my four years, Penny’s deal was up. He actually sat out, until they paid him. I was a supporter, ‘hey man, pay the man what he wants.’ So, Penny gets a lot of money. When my deal was up, they didn’t want to give me the money that I wanted and they said it was Penny’s team. So instead of me talking to Penny, ego kicked in a little bit, and then, I tested out free agency.”
O’Neal admitted the fact that he could have tried talking to Penny. Instead, he decided to leave the team and test the free agency.
Years later, the former NBA big man admitted he was dumb for leaving Penny and later Kobe. Although he ended up winning four NBA Championships during his career, there’s a possibility that he could have won a few more only if he had kept his ego aside.
