Back in July 2004, Shaquille O’Neal left the LA Lakers for the Miami Heat to team up with a certain Dwyane Wade. Shaq had made it no secret that he wanted to win another championship, and had a number of options that he considered. One of them was the Toronto Raptors, with none other than Vince Carter also trying to recruit Shaq, according to Yahoo Sports. At the same time, Shaq ended up choosing Dwyane Wade because he saw something uniquely special about the Miami Heat man according to Basketball Network.
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After having won 3 back-to-back championships with the Lakers, Shaq was looking to add to his tally. He fell out with the Lakers who didn’t want to accede to his demands, and eventually got what he wanted. O’Neal and Wade led the Heat to the 2006 NBA Championship, which proved to be the former’s last.
Shaquille O’Neal thought Dwyane Wade was a combination of Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant
It is no secret that most NBA franchises would have jumped at the chance of signing Shaq. O’Neal eventually decided to not move to Toronto and thought that Wade would fit in well with his playing style.
He saw the player as a combination of the two best teammates he had had, Kobe and Penny Hardaway. Shaq thought that his offensive threat would mean better shots for Dwyane Wade, even if they were double or triple-teamed. O’Neal explained exactly why he thought the Heat could win with him on board, according to NBA.com
“Cuz I saw something in D-Wade. I saw a mixture of Penny and Kobe, but he didn’t have no help with him. So you get me down there with him getting double or triple teamed and that’s going to open it up for him,”
There is little doubt that Shaq was well aware that he would be the supporting player for Wade. After a slow start, things eventually worked out for the Heat.
O’Neal knew the Miami Heat were good enough for another championship
According to an interview with Fox Sports, Shaq knew that he had already begun his decline. O’Neal was 32 when he joined the Heat and accepted that he would become a role player.
Shaq explained that the team’s slow start after his move led to him accepting his role as a supporting member. He claimed that there were other Centers in the team who could give him reduced time, and simply wanted to help the team.
The likes of Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem and James Posey were all rotated along with Shaq. With Wade as the obvious star of the side, the Heat won their first championship since the inception of the franchise.
