Shaquille O’Neal knows that he will be a role player on the Boston Celtics, and he’s perfectly fine with that.
He’s happy to defer to the next generation of greats.
“Even though I’ve played 18 years, my body doesn’t feel like it because
I’ve missed 260 games due to injury, ” O’Neal told the New Orleans Time Picayune. “But if I was still
averaging 20 shots a game, I would still be averaging those Shaq
numbers. But I’ve been in situations where there are younger and better
guys, so you can get them to take all the shots.”
O’Neal, playing at his charity golf tournament in Louisiana — the state in which he attended college — also said that he potentially was going to go the Hornets this offseason, but “It didn’t work out.”
Shaq, though, contrasted what he expects in Boston from what he experienced in Cleveland, particularly calling out Mo Williams.
“I like that they play together and nobody really worries about
shots, ” O’Neal said. “When I was with Cleveland, guys who couldn’t even
play were worried about shots. Why was Mo (Williams) taking 15 shots,
and I’m only taking four? If LeBron takes 20 shots, that’s cool.”
“So I said, let me get with a good team for the last two years,” he continued. “I
don’t mind people calling me a journeyman. I’ve been programmed to move
around every three years.”
Check out his full interview below.
| Shaquille O’Neal Sounds off |
NESN.com will showcase one Moment of Shaq every day until the Celtics open the season against the Heat on Oct. 26 at the TD Garden.
Sept. 3: Shaq and Will Ferrell express their love.
