Shaquille O’Neal spent one season with the Cavaliers, looking to ‘win the King a ring’. His season in Cleveland was a mixed bag, with several highs and lows. At the beginning of the season, Shaq looked like he was still in good shape and ready to contribute to the team’s success.
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However, as the season progressed, Shaq’s performance began to decline. He was no longer able to keep up with the younger and faster players in the league, and his skills had diminished considerably.
Shaq‘s biggest impact on the Cavaliers, however, was his veteran leadership and locker-room presence. As a respected figure, he was able to provide guidance to the team’s younger players, including LeBron James.
This Cavaliers team, which incidentally also had a rookie Danny Green, was among the most fun-to-watch iterations of the franchise during the first LeBron James era.
Shareef O’Neal gives us a reminder of when Shaq and LeBron James teamed up
Shareef O’Neal – currently a player for G-League Ignite – was in elementary school when his father was traded to the Cavaliers. The move was seen as a win-now move in an attempt to recoup some value for the aging Ben Wallace.
While the Cavaliers’ record fell by 5 games that year, they still remained above 60 wins with a 61-21 record. O’Neal played only 53 games, winning 40 of them and averaging career lows.
Nevertheless, it was cool to see these 2 legends play alongside each other. Shareef O’Neal definitely has some fond memories of it, as evidenced by his Instagram story.
— Amulya Shekhar (@tweet_amulya) April 4, 2023
Shaquille O’Neal Retired a season after that
Despite clearly being out of NBA shape during the 2010 playoffs, O’Neal didn’t call it quits. After all, Kobe Bryant had won his 5th championship – and his 2nd without Shaq. O’Neal wanted to get level with Bryant.
After being dumped out of the playoffs by the Celtics in 2010, O’Neal teamed up with them. He played one final season in Boston, during which he only appeared 37 times in the regular season.
Reduced to a bit-part role, his career wound down to a tedious full stop. Shaq finally announced his retirement around the NBA Finals that year, before King James melted down against JJ Barea.
