After winning the NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006, Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't have wanted anything more than to enjoy his summer break and gear up for the following season. However, he wouldn't have guessed that the NBA was also gearing up to introduce their latest innovation, a new basketball.
"The ball is terrible. It's something we'll just have to get used to," O'Neal said in an interview with Time Magazine. "Playing with the new ball is like going to a gentlemen's club, seeing an exotic dancer, and then going home and playing with a plastic blow-up doll. It's bad."
Ahead of the 2006-2007 season, the NBA introduced a new synthetic basketball, replacing the traditional leather one. Like most innovations, it received tons of reactions, mainly from the players who tested the ball before the season. However, those reactions were mostly negative. O'Neal, never one to shy away from expressing his opinions, made headlines with his colorful and candid critique.
"A lot of these people are trying to make decisions for the NBA," he continued . "It's just getting too corporate. There are too many rules that don't really make sense–for example, about our shorts being too long. You go to a Foot Locker — that's what all the kids are buying, the long shorts. Kids ain't buying the short John Stockton shorts.
The backlash
The introduction of the new ball was part of the NBA's efforts to modernize the game. However, players quickly noticed that the new ball did not perform like the leather one they were accustomed to. Complaints ranged from its feel to how it affected their shooting and dribbling.
Many other players who struggled to adapt to the synthetic ball echoed O'Neal's criticism. The new material was said to cause more friction, leading to increased cuts and scrapes on players' hands. Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki on some occasions, was said to discover blood trickling out of one of his fingertips. Some even agreed that the ball's bounce and grip were inconsistent, creating further challenges on the court.
Not all changes are needed
Before the season started, every player was sent a basketball so they could get accustomed to the feel. While it was a cautious effort by the NBA, it didn't help promote their new plan. NBA Star Stephen Jackson recounted that it "felt terrible," while Ray Allen confessed that every player he spoke to agreed that the decision was a whopping failure.
Unsurprisingly, the NBA was forced to abort the plan and bring back the old leather ball midway through the season. You may not hear much about this story today, and there's a reason behind it — the league ashamedly doesn't want anyone to know.
"It's the worst decision. Some expert, whoever did it, made a mistake," said the Heat Center. "The NBA has been around for how long? A hundred years? Fifty years? So to change it now, whoever that person is needs his college degree revoked. It's a terrible decision."
Related: “I like being big, I'm the NBA's best NFL player" – Shaquille O’Neal had a unique response to people saying he was overweight while playing for the Lakers
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