With all the turmoil surrounding the future of the Golden State Warriors, one of Stephen Curry’s biggest fans is urging him to stay put. Shaquille O’Neal, who’s been open about including The Chef in that conversation, launched a different campaign. The Hall of Fame center wants Curry to put the Bay Area loyalty over another NBA championship ring.

Speaking during a media interview with USA Today’s Prince Grimes, O’Neal addressed growing fan speculation surrounding whether the Warriors’ cornerstone should seek a late-career transfer to a legitimate title contender after recent events. When Grimes asked Shaq how he would navigate the final years of an illustrious career, given the external noise, O’Neal offered a perspective different from his own career.

“If you’re with an organization that appreciates you and loves you, stay there because he’s still getting paid,” was O’Neal’s advise to Steph Curry.

O’Neal emphasized that organizational loyalty and top-tier financial compensation outweigh the impulse to ring-chase late in a legend’s career, pointing to LeBron James’ move to the Philadelphia 76ers as a cautionary business tale.

“You know, it’s about winning, but it’s also getting paid, too. So, it’s also about both. You know, I think more people would choose that final paycheck than they do a ring. Unless you made so much money in your thing and now you need to get a ring. But, I’m sure if they would have offered LeBron 25 million or more, he’d still be a Laker.

“But you didn’t get that because, you know, they wanted to be like, ‘Hey, we want to go younger. So, we’re gonna go with some younger talent, which is called the business of basketball. And that’s exactly what they did. LeBron only end up getting eight. But LeBron made so much money, it’s not really about money for him. So, now that you take the money out of the equation, now you can focus on, you know, getting another ring. And I think that’s why he chose Philly.”

Shaq’s comments underscore the attention he’s been getting lately. He went from a three-peat in LA to a ring in Miami, to teaming up with LeBron in Cleveland and Kevin Garnett in Boston hoping to win a fifth ring.

But recently, he claimed that the Lakers fans, “didn’t love me, they loved Kobe.” While Shaq has often admitted he would’ve won seven rings had he stayed in LA, fans believe his comments also reflect the fanbase’s loyalty to the superstar.

Dub Nation is showing that loyalty to Curry over the franchise as a whole after the team decided to prioritize the post-Curry era. They want the superstar to go to a place where he’d be appreciated and win another ring.

Regardless of fan sentiments, the Warriors have consistently demonstrated its willingness to compensate Curry at the absolute ceiling permitted by league rules. Curry will earn a $62.6 million extension in the 2026-27 season as extension talks loom. His total NBA earnings will go past $530 million. To Shaq, that incentivizes staying.

Considering Shaq’s own experiences, he probably hopes Curry doesn’t have the same regrets as he did and stays with a franchise that treats a star with maximum respect, both culturally and financially.