NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal‘s stint in Miami turned out to be much more fruitful than expected. However, things could have been very different had O’Neal listened to his then-wife Shaunie. After demanding a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, several teams were in line to find a spot for one of the most dominant centers in basketball history. Shaunie, however, had her eyes set on the Dallas Mavericks. Anyhow, billionaire owner Mark Cuban looked at things in a different way and so did the NBA. 

After Shaunie displayed her desire in an interview, the league accused the Big Aristotle of tampering. After things didn’t go his way, Shaq got a perfect opportunity to plot revenge on the Mavs. In his latest podcast, the 2000 MVP credited his Miami teammate and explained how he helped Shaq in exacting the perfect revenge.

How did Shaquille O’Neal’s teammate assist him in completing his revenge? 

Adding the ‘Big Diesel‘ could have made things magical, however, did not happen due to Cuban’s trust in the Mavs’ “nucleus” back then. The Mark Cuban-owned Mavericks had a championship-caliber team with Dirk Nowitzki as their leader. We will never know how a Mavs team with Nowitzki and Shaq would have looked. However, it ended well for the latter. 

Cuban’s decision was not the only problem. After Shaunie commented on where she wanted her husband to go next in an interview, the league accused Shaq of tampering. Well, Shaq obviously did not love this! Nonetheless, the 4-time champion was traded to the Miami Heat, which helped him add another title to his name.

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In the Finals matchup in 2006 against the Dallas Mavericks, Shaq and the Heat came from down 0-2 to bag the series. However, destroying the Mavs was more satisfying for the 15x NBA All-Star than winning the fourth ring. Shaq’s teammate Gary Payton hit a game-winning shot in Game 3 of the Finals, which was the turning point for the Miami Heat.

Payton joined Shaq in the latest podcast where the latter shared, “He hit the single biggest shot in my career, not his career, in my career… He [Payton] hit a shot that kind of broke the Dallas Mavericks’ back. So I owe you everything because you helped me get my fourth championship and I helped you get your first.” But why was Shaq so satisfied with beating the Mavs?

What was Shaunie’s message to Mark Cuban in the interview?

Shaunie wanted to shift to Dallas after Shaq decided to move from LA. However, she did not stop there. She went on to send a message to Cuban in the same interview, which took place nineteen years ago. The message proved to be controversial as it put Shaq in trouble.

Denied Entry by a Nightclub, Shaquille O’Neal Claims Mother’s Face Flashed Before His Eyes Before He Took a Big Decision

A report revealed the 48-year-old’s comments back then. Shaunie shared, “Hint, hint, so Mark [Cuban] if you’re listening…” right after she revealed her desire to move to Dallas. The league later went on to accuse Shaq of tampering and eventually led the 4x NBA champion to take his revenge. Now you know why it was so satisfying for Shaq!

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