In 2009, Shaquille O'Neal was at the tail end of his illustrious career, being a shadow of his once-dominant self after one of the most dominant runs in NBA history.
Shaq fought with weight issues and frequent injuries, which resulted in a major decline in numbers. However, after the Phoenix Suns traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Big Aristotle got one last shot to win another NBA championship.
"My motto is very simple. Win a Ring for the King," he said after joining LeBron James. "It's LeBron's team. He's the captain. This is the time in my career where I can fit in. I'm now in the security business. My job is to protect the King, and that's what I'm here to do."
LeBron-Shaq experiment
The Cavaliers endured plenty of postseason heartbreaks in the previous years, and they hoped O'Neal would be the final puzzle piece for them to win it all.
Wary of Shaq's struggles with injuries, the Cavs opted not to use the big man too much. However, limited playing time didn't stop O'Neal from being productive, as he averaged 12.0 points, 6.7 boards, and 1.2 blocks per night as a starter.
Although he was no longer dominant like he used to be, O'Neal found ways to help the team win. As a result, the Cavs clinched a league-leading 61-21 record.
Unfortunately, Shaq's regular season with the Cavs ended prematurely. In a February matchup against the Boston Celtics, O'Neal sustained a nasty right thumb injury. This forced him to undergo surgery, which kept him sidelined for the rest of the 2009-10 campaign.
The legendary big man still returned just in time for the 2010 playoffs, with the Cavs eliminating the Chicago Bulls in the first round after five games. However, facing Boston's 'Big 3' of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen proved too much for Cleveland. Despite going up 2-1 in the series, LeBron and Co. lost the next three games and were out of the postseason.
Shaq averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 11 playoff games for the Cavs. James put up 29.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.
Shaq wished he had partnered with LBJ earlier
Despite an underwhelming playoff run, Shaq felt he and LeBron could've done more damage together. In fact, the legendary big man regrets not teaming up with James earlier. After all, he averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 75 regular season games the year before joining the Cavs.
"I wish we could've met two years earlier cuz we were actually in number one; we were the number one seed. I was a role player, and the Big Baby broke my hand, so I had to sit out six weeks, and then when I came back, I was all out of rhythm, out of shape, and we lost to Boston," O'Neal said on The Big Podcast.
If Shaq had joined LeBron earlier and the two had won the championship together, perhaps James wouldn't have taken his talents to South Beach and joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010. Also, O'Neal would've had five championships, tied with his former teammate and Los Angeles Lakers rival Kobe Bryant.
Instead, James joined the Heat and became one of the most scrutinized superstars in NBA history. Diesel, on the other hand, retired after playing one more year in Boston.
Related: "Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy" - When the Lakers fined Kobe Bryant after he sounded off on Shaquille O'Neal
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