Five alternative NBA timelines for Shaquille O’Neal
By John Buhler
Shaquille O’Neal will enter the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night. What would his career and the NBA look like if he’d gone down a different path?
Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant center of his time. From his early years where he would run up and down the court like a seven-foot gazelle for the Orlando Magic to his best days as a monster-truck-grade force in the low post for the Los Angeles Lakers, there hasn’t been an NBA center as physically imposing since O’Neal retired in 2011.
O’Neal was a four-time NBA Champion, a 15-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA first teamer, two-time scoring champion and the 2000 NBA MVP. He finished as a three-time NBA Finals MVP with 28,596 career points, 13,099 career rebounds, and 2,732 career blocks.
It’s hard to top what O’Neal did in the NBA from 1992 to 2011, but what if his career had taken a different path altogether? Here are five alternate NBA universes that involve Shaq Diesel.
5. What if he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves?
O’Neal was the No. 1 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft out of LSU, having left Baton Rouge after his junior season. However, O’Neal could have left after his sophomore season, or even played all four years with the Tigers, and would’ve wound up on one of three expansion-era NBA teams. One of those teams was the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota picked third in the 1992 NBA Draft, selecting Duke Blue Devils star center Christian Laettner. He didn’t live up to expectations in the Twin Cities but would find on-court success with the Atlanta Hawks in the late 1990s. How would O’Neal have fared in frigid Minnesota on an expansion team like the Wolves?
Since O’Neal never played in a cold-weather city until the end of his Hall of Fame career, who knows how he would have handled playing in the Land of 10,000 Lakes? Given his talent, he probably would’ve been the first big star on the hardwood in the Twin Cities before Kevin Garnett came along in 1995.
Minnesota would have probably struggled until Garnett came along to join O’Neal, but might’ve been at least the caliber of the Chris Webber Sacramento Kings.
One thing we do know: The Timberwolves would not have swapped sharpshooter Ray Allen’s rights for Stephon Marbury with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1996 NBA Draft. Imagine a big three of O’Neal, Garnett, and Allen in the late 1990s to early 2000s. The mind shudders.
Minnesota would’ve won at least one NBA championship, and probably gone to another. Maybe their success derails the San Antonio Spurs in the West, as the Lakers would have been a doormat without O’Neal arriving in 1996.
Next: 4. What if he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets?