One of the criticisms of the modern NBA has consistently been stars teaming up to form superteams. It started with the Boston Celtics in 2007, with the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors subsequently building rosters stacked with All-Stars.
This trend is hard to fathom for players of the older generation, like Shaquille O’Neal. And while generally calling it out, Shaq once revealed which two teams he would have joined if he had to create superteams in his career.
“So, it’s supposed to be about competition. If I knew it was okay to join people, f*** I would have joined the Bulls,” Shaq said on The Big Podcast.
“I would have played with Mike (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen) and then I would have left them and played in my hometown San Antonio with the Spurs. But, nah, I was like, nope. I want to beat all these guys.”
Shaquille O’Neal became a free agent at the end of the 1995-96 season, and he could very easily have chosen to join the Chicago Bulls. Imagining Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Shaquille O’Neal on the same team is wild, and they might have won some more titles than they did if that had somehow happened.
Of course, Shaq went to the Los Angeles Lakers instead, where Phil Jackson would eventually join him as Kobe Bryant blossomed, and they would win a three-peat of their own. But O’Neal playing alongside the greatest shooting guard ever, Michael Jordan, or the greatest power forward ever, Tim Duncan, would mean an extended run of domination. It’s a good thing he never did join those legendary teams.
Shaquille O’Neal Blames LeBron James For Starting The Superteam Trend
Although Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors created arguably the most stacked roster ever, LeBron James and the Heatles are considered by most to be the start of the era. And while Shaq was talking about KD when he said this, he explained at another time that he, too, blames LeBron for the trend.
“That’s the loophole that’s accepted that, but you know, and I say, LeBron started making the super team and all that,” O’Neal said.
Shaquille O’Neal won his championships alongside legendary guards like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, so it’s not like he didn’t have superstar help. However, the disconnect on this point between the new generation and the older generation will likely always exist. Perhaps everyone can just agree to disagree.
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