Shaquille O’Neal will soon become the first player in Orlando Magic history to have his jersey number retired. During last week’s episode of ‘Inside the NBA’, Shaq’s mother, Lucille O’Neal, made a special appearance to congratulate her son for his momentous achievement, “Congratulations Shaquille for the retirement of your jersey with the Orlando Magic. This is your No. 1 fan saying congratulations to you.”
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This heartwarming message from Mama O’Neal changed the entire atmosphere of the show, as she recalled the day,
“I can remember back when they called your name… We’re all so happy for you and so excited. You’ve made us all proud with all the joy and excitement you brought to the Orlando community. This recognition is well-deserved. We want you to enjoy it, we’re so proud of you, and we pray that you continue to enjoy life. God bless you, my son.”
However, Charles decided to give his two cents on Shaq’s mother as she finished her message. Just after the video of Lucille O’Neal cut, Charles launched another hilarious dig at O’Neal,
“Why is your mom so calm and cerebral, and your such an ass.”
This comment from Barkley left even Shaq in stitches, as the entire set burst into laughter once again. The words from Lucille seemed to mean a lot, as Shaq’s playful persona turned into pride for a few moments, something we don’t get to see often. Needless to say, Shaq deserves every bit of respect for the incredible journey he has had in the league, particularly with the Magic.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey retirement saga
With Barkley having ruined Shaq’s special moments live on television, this jersey retirement took a lot of effort. Before the announcement, the Magic was one of three teams with no jersey retirements.
But 2023 sounded the end of Shaq’s patience, as he demanded the Magic to retire his number. But this wasn’t the first time Shaq had this conversation with the Magic organization. Talking about his previous experience, Shaq told his TNT co-analysts,
“A couple of years ago, [the Magic] did the ring of honor and I thought I was getting my jersey retired. So I went there, I am waiting to do the thing. They took me to the top floor [of the arena] and they just had a wall. They did this [mural], they did the press conference and that was it.”
The Magic sure did take their time deciding on Shaq’s jersey retirement, as two other teams (Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers) have already given ‘the Diesel’ his honors.
But, according to Barkley, the Magic already had a plan for O’Neal Jersey retirement, and if not for Shaq’s interference they would have succeeded. Talking about the same, Charles told his TNT colleagues,
“They tried to wait him out until he was gone.”
Though we will never know if Barkley’s ludicrous take has any validity, the simple thought of it is undoubtedly ‘hilarious’. With Shaq now having his jersey retired by three teams, he joins an exclusive club of only three other players to have received the same honor.
