"I wanted it to happen because I was coming to a fabulous team" – Shaquille O'Neal looked forward to helping the Suns in 2008, despite Father Time catching up

"I wanted it to happen because I was coming to a fabulous team" – Shaquille O'Neal looked forward to helping the Suns in 2008, despite Father Time catching up originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Even when he reached his mid-30s, Shaquille O'Neal was a player who could help any team. However, "The Diesel" needed to be healthy and suited up for it to happen.
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Although he had a memorable run with the Miami Heat in 2006, winning his fourth and final NBA title, there were already signs of decline. With the LSU product struggling to stay healthy, the South Beach squad shipped him to the Phoenix Suns in 2007. O'Neal welcomed the move, alleging he could help the team reach the next level.
"I'm very excited to be here. I just want to fit in with a damn good team," O'Neal said at a news conference via UPI. "I'm just here to make everyone else better. I wanted it to happen because I was coming to a fabulous team. Helping them get to the next level will be exciting."
Suns needed someone to stop the Spurs
One area the Suns desperately needed to shore up was the center position. To make a real playoff push, they had to find someone capable of matching up with Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.
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Back then, Mike D'Antoni was at the helm, leaning heavily on his fast-paced, small-ball system. It worked wonders in the regular season, but every time Phoenix ran into San Antonio, that approach came up short.
The Suns lost to the Spurs in the 2005 Western Conference Finals in D'Antoni's first year at the helm. The Texas squad would do the same in the 2007 postseason, eliminating Phoenix in the WC semifinals.
The Shaq experiment failed
Even with the acquisition of the top pick of the 1992 Draft, the Suns still fell to the Spurs that season. Both teams faced off in the first round, with San Antonio booting out Phoenix 4-1.
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This put then-general manager Steve Kerr in a tough position. He had been the driving force behind the Shaquille trade, a move he later acknowledged was aimed at addressing the glaring hole in the paint.
Looking back, Kerr admitted he could've handled the situation more effectively including improving communication and alignment with the respected head coach, who wasn't fully on board with the direction the team was headed.
"I have some regrets. I think we had a few differences that I probably didn't handle very well as a GM that I could've probably handled better, especially given that we really like each other and have a lot of similar viewpoints on the game," Kerr stated in 2018.
Related: "There's a lot of things I hate about it" - Tim Duncan admits he can't stand some things about today's NBA
Shaq had nothing more to prove
Although he remained tough to stop, Shaq's numbers show that his playing days were coming to an end. From the monstrous performances he had with the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers, his production dropped considerably.
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O'Neal's most productive stint with the Suns came in his second season, where he put up 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks across 75 games.
Little did the 7-foot-1 behemoth realize that it would be his last good run in the NBA. He got shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009 and made his final stop with the Boston Celtics in 2010.
Try as he might, "The Big Aristotle" had to accept the fact that his game was on the decline. Injuries prevented him from being his usual self and his unavailability was a huge problem for teams.
O'Neal came to that realization in June 2011, ending his 19-year run. While the final chapter of his career may not have gone as hoped, Shaq's NBA journey was nothing short of legendary.
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With four championship rings and a league MVP to his name, the big man's resume is stacked with accolades most players can only dream of.
Related: LeBron James reveals which NFL players resemble him the most: "We have that same stature, as far as the build goes"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on May 28, 2025, where it first appeared.

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