When you think of Shaquille O’Neal’s NBA days, you usually picture him in a Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat uniform.
It’s hard to remember but Shaq spent one season with the Cleveland Cavaliers playing alongside LeBron James.
That year, 2009-2010, the Cavaliers finished with the best record in the NBA at 61–21 but lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics.
On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the NBA Hall of Famer shared a big regret that he has about his brief time in Cleveland and being a teammate to James. Specifically, he wishes he’d have joined the Cavs sooner.
“If I had met him two years earlier, we definitely could’ve won.”
-Shaq on his time with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
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“I wish we could have met two years earlier,” O’Neal told co-host Adam Lefkoe. “Cause we were actually at No. 1. We were the No. 1 seed. Yeah, I was a role player. And then ****ing Big Baby (Glen Davis) broke my hand. So I had to sit out six weeks and when I came back I was all out of rhythm, out of shape, and we lost to Boston. But I think if I had met him two years earlier, we definitely could have won. Defintely.”
Ironically, Shaq went to Boston the following season and LeBron took his talents to Miami. James would eventually return to the Cavaliers and lead them to an NBA title, but who knows what could have been had Shaw shown up sooner.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.