Shaquille O'Neal was invited to the 2000 Olympics to represent Team USA . It made perfect sense, as Shaq was already regarded as the most dominant player of all time. His presence would beef up the already stacked Americans.
But the Big Diesel declined the invitation for various reasons. One of them was that the team already had a decent frontcourt.
Shaq says no
" Thanks for picking me the first two times," O'Neal said, per the Orlando Sentinel . "But this time, I'll probably decline."
"They got Tim [Duncan) and Alonzo and Vin Baker," O'Neal said, considering the team's power players. "That should be enough."
Additionally, O'Neal said that he uses the summer for rest. Note that the Los Angeles Lakers had just won the 2000 NBA Championship then. O'Neal had just played 79 regular season and 21 playoff games.
"I'm straight on the gold medals," he said. "My seasons have been so rigorous. My summer has been time just to get some rest. I'll probably get a lot of rest."
It seemed like the right decision. The following season, Shaq continued his dominant streak. Together with the great Kobe Bryant, Shaq guided the Lakers to a successful title defense. They completed the three-peat in 2002, establishing themselves as one of the greatest teams ever.
Meanwhile, the 2000 USA Olympics squad cruised to the gold medal with an 8-0 record. Alonzo Mourning was the third leading scorer of the team with 10.2 points while Vin Baker chipped in 8.0 points per game. It would’ve been nice if Shaq was there, but the Americans didn’t really need him to dominate on their way to another gold medal in the Olympics.
Root of the frustration?
O'Neal might have intentionally left out another reason why he said no. After all, the 1996 Olympics weren't exactly how he envisioned it to be. While he won a gold medal for his troubles, Shaq barely played in the final game .
"I barely played in the gold medal game," Shaq said. "I played about five minutes total. [Coach Lenny] Wilkens put me in for the final fifteen seconds. I think I had 2 points. It was David Robinson's third Olympics and my first. So you can't give me some time? I was really disappointed. After we won, I took my medal, and I jumped in my car, and I drove home."
Apart from his feud with Kobe, Shaq's Olympic stint might be one of the dark chapters of his career. The man could've won multiple gold medals, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Nevertheless, Shaq still had an excellent basketball career. Four titles, multiple individual accolades, and the GOAT man of all time? That's a pretty good resume.
Related: "They're still the second best Dream Team, and yea I said it" - Shaquille O'Neal doesn't believe the 1992 Team USA roster is the best ever
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