Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest players ever to have played the game of basketball. The legendary center was a unique mix of size and athleticism. For someone taller than seven feet, Shaq was very nimble on his feet and used this to his advantage. He would dominate his opponents. Because of his physicality, players found it tough going against him and that gave Shaq an advantage.
Due to his larger-than-life personality, Shaq was immensely popular among the fans. Everywhere he went, he immediately became a fan favorite there.
Because of this popularity, Shaq had a plethora of endorsement deals during his playing career and he still is an ambassador for a lot of brands. O’Neal parlayed these endorsement deals and intelligent business decisions into becoming one of the richest basketball athletes ever.
WATCH THIS STORY: 5 games proving Russ West’s criticism is not fair.
Recently on a new episode of his podcast “The Big Podcast with Shaq”, he talked about buying an NBA Franchise particularly close to his heart. Shaq was talking about Orlando Magic, which picked Shaq in the 1992 NBA Draft. When asked whether he has the money to buy the Magic, Shaq said, “Dennis we got the money. You ain’t got to worry about the money. This message goes out to the DeVos family. If you are ready to sell the Orlando Magic, sell it to somebody that’s gonna take it to the next level. That’s us!”
Orlando Magic – Another rebuild on the horizon
Just two days ago, during the 2022 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic held the number one overall pick. They used it to select Duke University standout, Paolo Banchero. Till one day before, the draft experts believed Orlando would take Jabari Smith Jr. as the number one pick. Hence Paolo’s selection was surprising.
But Orlando right now has a great core to build around Banchero for the future.
With young players like Jales Suggs, Franz Wagner, and Mo Bamba, among others, Orlando is building for the future. But it is easier said than done. Even with this collection of young talent, they need a coach who can harness this talent. They need one of their young stars to take a giant leap next season. The Eastern Conference is as tough as ever.
Do you think the Magic made the right decision drafting Paolo Banchero as the #1 pick? Let us know in the comments.
The post Shaquille O’Neal Offers to Buy $1.64 Billion NBA Franchise Whose Owner Has Strong Donald Trump Connections appeared first on EssentiallySports.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Essentially Sports
