Shaquille O’Neal held a news conference Friday to officially announce his retirement. To no one’s surprise, it didn’t take very long for the jokes to begin.
Less than 20 seconds in, Shaq picked up his cell phone, pretending to have been interrupted by an emergency phone call from the Knicks’ president.
“For real? You want me to come up and apply for the New York Knick general manager job? OK sure, I’ll be up right after the press conference,” he said.
Shaq announced his retirement Wednesday, saying, “i’m retiring Video” on his Twitter accompanied by a short video. The 15-time All-Star used Friday’s news conference to thank everyone who helped him succeed along the way — from his family and the NBA and to Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
“Playing for Doc Rivers this year was very, very special,” he said. “We had a lot of talent on the team, but Doc Rivers always, always, always focused on the team.”
To watch Shaq’s entire farewell news conference, check out the video below.
