Pat Riley is famous in NBA circles for being true to his word. Once he makes up his mind, nothing can change it, and we all saw it in the way he dealt with Jimmy Butler’s antics this season. And interestingly, this isn’t the first time he has shown off his absolute authority. In fact, compared to his fallout with Shaquille O’Neal, the Butler saga feels almost cordial.
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After acquiring Shaq in 2004, the Heat knew they had to maximize their championship window. And maximize it they did by winning a title, Miami’s first, in 2006. However, injuries to Dwyane Wade meant they were unable to mount a title defense, and things progressively went from bad to worse for the Florida side.
Shaq and Riley’s relationship soured to such an extent that both of them reportedly almost came to blows. In Shaq’s memoir ‘Shaq Uncut,’ he recalled how his incident with the Heat’s head coach eventually led to his departure from South Beach.
The incident between them both had such an impact, that Riley even refused to negotiate with Shaq’s agent to find him a new team. As Shaq recalled, Riley refused to meet with his agent Perry Rogers, and instead found a trade deal by himself.
Soon after my little incident with Pat, he called Perry and told him, “It’s over. We’re trading Shaq.” Perry said: “Let me fly out there and talk this over with you.” Pat said, “No, we’re done.” He told Perry they had a deal to trade me to Phoenix. Perry called me and said, “What do you think?” I said immediately, “Let’s go.”
Of course, with the amount of disrespect Shaq felt he was receiving in Miami, he was just eager to leave. So, when he learned that the Heat would be sending him to Phoenix, he didn’t think twice before agreeing to move.
That move would ultimately end up being the eventual end of Shaq’s competitive career, as the center failed to make valuable contributions till his eventual retirement in 2011.
