Shaquille O’Neal‘s time with the Miami Heat had its ups and downs. While the franchise won its first-ever championship with the big man, the relationship between Shaq and head coach Pat Riley was always a concern in the locker room. But as Shaquille O’Neal was one of the key reasons for the team winning their first-ever championship, his jersey was retired by the Heat.

But when expressing his dissatisfaction with Michael Jordan‘s jersey also being retired in Miami, even though he never played for them, Shaq revealed the current state of his relationship with Riley.

“I hate the fact that they hang up other people’s jerseys. I hope I am not disrespecting anybody by this term… But this thing of ours. This is what we built. Michael Jordan ain’t never play for the Heat. Bill Russell ain’t never play for the Heat… I don’t like that personally. I am not trying to be disrespectful. I’m really good friends with the Arisons, and me and Pat were having a better relationship, but I never liked that,” said the 4x champion.

Shaquille O’Neal revealed during the Big Podcast that he is not happy with how things are handled in Miami by Pat Riley and the owners of the team, he mentioned that he has a good relationship with them. Although Shaq and Riley once almost came to exchanging blows, according to the Los Angeles Lakers legend, the two are now on better terms.

Shaquille O’Neal and Pat Riley were not fond of each other

It was reported in Shaq’s docuseries that he was traded to the Phoenix Suns after he argued with Pat Riley. When Shaq joined the team in 2004, he became the player who led the rest of the roster by example. The championship experience he got from his time with the Lakers was crucial for the team.

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But this led to friction eventually starting between the two. While Shaq wanted to be there for his teammates, he didn’t like the way Riley called out his players in front of the team when they were not playing to their full potential. This led to the two exchanging words and almost coming to blows before Alonzo Mourning stepped in to stop them.

Shaq was quickly traded from the team after that, even though he helped them win a championship a year ago. But it seems like with time, Shaquille O’Neal has moved past it and now has a good relationship with Riley. The  Miami Heat retired Shaq’s jersey in 2016.

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What do you think of this revelation from Shaquille O’Neal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!