Jimmy Butler and Shaquille O’Neal are two players you wouldn’t normally associate with each other. But, in reality, they’re two sides of the same coin. And, that is all down to their time in Miami and their relationship with Heat president, Pat Riley.
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Jimmy Buckets is now having the time of his life in Dade County. He has led a resilient Heat team back to the Eastern Conference Finals. Heat Nation has Pat to thank for that, and to hear Jimmy say it, the man is like the Godfather. And, he wouldn’t have joined the Heat if not for him.
Then you have the other side of the coin, with Shaq. The four-time NBA Champion helped the Heat win its first NBA title. But, while he did have a great four seasons in Miami, there is no love lost between him and Riley. In fact, he called the Hall of Famer a liar in his book Shaq Uncut.
In contrast to Jimmy Butler’s praise for Pat Riley, Shaquille O’Neal called the Heat president a liar
Back in 2019, Jimmy Butler joined a team he swore he would never play for, the Miami Heat. However, one man who convinced him to drop his biases was Pat Riley. The Heat president was integral in bringing him to South Beach. And, a year after joining up, he was singing his praises.
Butler: “That’s the Godfather, man, that’s the OG. A huge reason why I’m here, obviously. He has so much trust and belief in my abilities. And it just trickles down the line. I’m thankful for him, Spo, all these knuckleheads I get to hoop with. It’s a blessing being here in Miami.”
It’s clear to see that Butler and Riley have a strong bond. The same cannot be said of Shaquille O’Neal. In 2008, Pat decided to trade Shaq to the Phoenix Suns. It was a smart deal, given O’Neal’s age. But, when asked if their relationship has suffered because of it, he denied it. But, Big Diesel called him out.
“When he traded me, Pat denied we were having any problems. He told the media, “I loved Shaq when I got him and I love him today.” He didn’t mean it. He hated the way I called him out. He didn’t like to be challenged. I’m sure he thought I was trying to destroy the culture he created. He was probably right. I thought his “culture” needed some tweaking.”
Obviously, both Jimmy and Shaq have two differing views of Pat Riley. But, they do share one thing in common when it comes to him. Pat offered to unretire Michael Jordan’s jersey for both of them.
Pat Riley offered to unretire Michael Jordan’s jersey for both Jimmy Butler and Shaq
They may have completely different views about Pat Riley, but if there is one thing Jimmy Butler and Shaquille O’Neal have in common, it’s Michael Jordan’s sixth-man jersey. To be precise they both received an offer to have it unretired.
Jimmy revealed he was given the offer seeing as his favorite jersey number was 23. Following this revelation, Shaq revealed he was offered the same deal. Only that time, it was because he wanted the big man to be the first NBA player to have his jersey retired by the Heat.
At the end of the day, both men declined the offer. After all, you do not want to be the guy to besmirch the legacy of His Airness, even if he never played for the Heat.
