Shaq is certain 76ers won’t get No. 1 pick Ben Simmons
By John Buhler
Shaquille O’Neal said on his podcast that there is no way the Philadelphia 76ers will wind up with the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Turner Sports analyst and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal discussed the notion of conspiracy theories behind who ends up winning the NBA Draft Lottery. O’Neal said on his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, that the Philadelphia 76ers will not end up with the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft despite having the worst record in the NBA.
Philadelphia may have a 25% of getting their choice of either LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons or Duke Blue Devils forward Brandon Ingram with the No. 1 overall selection, but O’Neal believes that 76ers fans should temper the expectations and not get overly excited about their draft pick.
O’Neal said, “Philly can tank all they want, they’re not getting the first pick.” Essentially, O’Neal believes that the powers at be, “whoever ‘they’ may be” won’t let that No. 1 pick play for the 76ers.
O’Neal didn’t say who was going to wind up with the No. 1 pick, as that would be a conflict of interest as he is a minority stakeholder in the Western Conference’s Sacramento Kings, who will be in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery, but not logistically in a position to land the No. 1 pick. Sacramento’s record is bad, but not the worst in the NBA.
He has some personal experience as a former No. 1 overall pick himself going to the Orlando Magic in the early 1990s. O’Neal guarantees that Philadelphia won’t be rewarded for tanking with the No. 1 draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
O’Neal stated on his podcast, “All the great, great players in the league, the draft, there has been talk of a conspiracy theory. All the way from [Patrick] Ewing to me to LeBron [James] playing in Cleveland. So I’m guaranteeing that Philly ain’t gonna get the first pick…Philly won’t even come close to getting the first pick.”
Given the conflict of interest with the Kings, O’Neal didn’t specifically say who would get the No. 1 overall pick, but did add “Put it this way. Somewhere sunny and exciting. That is where [Simmons] is going.”
Reading between the lines, that sounds like O’Neal is confident that the Los Angeles Lakers will wind up with the No. 1 overall pick to draft Simmons out of LSU. Los Angeles is the worst team in the Western Conference and will have the second best odds to nab that No. 1 overall selection. A conspiracy theory? We’ll just have to wait and see…
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