Shaq will put an asterisk on 2020 NBA champion
By Mark Carman
Shaquille O’Neal says an asterisk will be attached to whoever wins the NBA championship this year just like it does to the 1999 San Antonio Spurs.
Shaquille O’Neal plans on watching NBA basketball this summer while working alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson in his familiar seat on TNT. Shaq anticipates seeing a tough road ahead for NBA players as they try to get to peak level performance playing in Orlando around the coronavirus.
“Its going to be difficult for those guys to be inside that bubble, nobody can leave and eat the same food everyday,” O’Neal said. “To be a great player it’s all about the physical attributes and the mental attributes, but it’s also about routine so guys are definitely going to have to adjust.”
Shaq might be selling the food options a little short at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. But day-to-day life promises to be different and perhaps feel like groundhog day without the players standard support system.
“My routine was going to shootaround and coming home and seeing my beautiful family. Seeing them get ready, coming out to play the game, making sure they got there safe, looking at fans,” O’Neal said. “It’s going to be difficult on a lot of aspects. If I was playing it would be very difficult for me to play without fans.”
Even with the added degree of difficulty, Shaq does not plan on giving much credit to whoever wins the 2020 NBA championship.
“It’s an asterisk baby. It will count for some people, but I’m not changing my opinion,” O’Neal said.
Shaq has long trolled Tim Duncan and the 1999 San Antonio Spurs for their lockout shortened championship season. Shaq claims Duncan only has four real championships just like him. 1999 did not count. Which one would count more, the Spurs in 1999 or whoever wins it this year?
“Neither,” O’Neal said. “If that was Tim Duncan’s only championship, that asterisk season, would you guys (media) be saying he was a great player? I will answer that for you, no. Therefore, that’s why its asterisk. Period.”
Shaq is working with Krisy Kreme donuts who are debuting their Doughnut Bites & Mini Crullers at a virtual grand opening on June 24.
You can hear the entire Shaq interview on Da Windy City podcast here. In addition to summer NBA hoops 2020, Shaq discusses missing Kobe, playing for Phil Jackson, his reaction to The Last Dance and more.