Standing Up for Jason Williams Got Shaquille O’Neal Traded to Suns

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most humorous people in NBA history. It’s hard to find a moment when O’Neal isn’t smiling or telling a joke. However, when he needs to be serious, Shaq won’t hesitate to shift his entire demeanor. This week, he was always serious about standing up for his teammates. Unfortunately, that led to an unexpected trade.

Everyone remembers O’Neal’s tenure with the Miami Heat as one filled with success. After all, he helped lead the franchise to its first NBA championship in the 2006 season.

The following year, the Heat failed to even get past the first round. O’Neal had the worst season of his career, averaging a measly 13.6 points per game. It didn’t help that the relationship between Shaq and management wasn’t as good as it was when he first arrived on the team.

Regardless, the two parties looked to move forward with their relationship until it hit an unavoidable roadblock. In a recent appearance on O’Neal’s The Big Podcast, Wade revealed the details of the incident.

“Shaq tried to stand up for [Jason Williams] in front of the team,” Wade revealed.

The incident took place during a Heat practice. Unfortunately, Jason Williams showed up late, which didn’t sit well with head coach Pat Riley. The legendary coach had a reputation for being quite strict, which he demonstrated first hand. He quickly told Williams to leave, but his demand was met with push back from Shaq.

“Pat tells J-Will to get out. Shaq tells him, ‘He ain’t going nowhere.’ And then they get into a face-off,” Wade added.

Typically, the image of a 7-foot-1 Shaq getting into an altercation with a head coach would seem lopsided. However, Riley didn’t back down. The conflict eventually subsided, but it didn’t mean the animosity between the two simply evaporated.

The anger O’Neal felt in the moment carried on with him as he returned home. It was at this moment that his longtime security guard, Uncle Jerome, warned him about what might happen in the near future.

“He said, ‘Hey, you know that U-Haul place on Alton Rose. Get your m*********** boxes cause your a** will be up out of here,'” O’Neal revealed.

Truer words couldn’t be said. The next day, O’Neal received word that the Heat had traded him to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Although the deal came as a shock, O’Neal holds no hard feelings toward the Heat or Pat Riley.

Shaq is a firm believer that the relationship had run its course. Fast-forward to today, and the two maintain a great relationship. Regardless, the incident makes for one of the many great stories O’Neal has from his illustrious NBA career.