Shaquille O’Neal says he took a pay cut while playing for the Miami Heat.
The NBA Hall of Famer played for the team for four seasons, between 2004 and 2008, according to Sports Illustrated. Previously, he was a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played alongside his teammate Kobe Bryant.
O’Neal’s tenure with the Heat was accompanied by a decision that cost him $20 million, he explained on “The OGs” podcast. He recalls a conversation with former Lakers head coach Pat Riley, that presented him an ultimatum surrounding his salary.
“Pat came in and he said, ‘Shaq I love you. I can give you the whole 120 [million] and we can have nobody, or I can give you 100 [million],'” O’Neal said. “‘Give UD some more money. I can bring in Posey. I can bring in GP. I can bring in all them guys.'”
O’Neal decided to take the pay cut because he was purely motivated by his desire to win.
He added, “And I was like, ‘You know what. I need to win. Cause I gotta win one before Ol’ boy get one. I got enough money. I got the biggest house. I’ll do it.’ And that’s what I did. So for me, it’s not about money. It’s about maximizing your potential. If you got the ability to do more, I’m always trying to do more.”
O’Neal secured a championship ring in 2006, alongside teammates Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem. This was also the first championship win for the Miami Heat franchise, NBA.com reports.
What’s more, Shaq Diesel is not the only one who has taken a pay cut in the league in hopes of strengthening his team. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, former Heat players LeBron James, Wade, and Chris Bosh did the same to keep Haslem on the team.
On “The Pivot” podcast, Haslem, who had been a player on the team since 2003, believed his spot could be at risk in light of the trio, known as the “Big Three,” teaming up in 2010. Haslem was also a free agent at the time, but he ultimately remained with the team due to a collaborative decision from James, Wade, and Bosh — an outcome that paid off, as they earned two championship rings.
“The fact that Bron, CB, and D-Wade all collabed to take less money, to make that $20 [million] available for me, it said enough, because they didn’t have to do that,” Haslem explained on “The Pivot” podcast.
“Dwyane understood. Bron and CB don’t know me from a can of paint. They ain’t ever played with me, they don’t know nothing about me,” he continued. “But the fact that they was able to say, ‘Okay, cool. We need him. We need him to win.’ That let me know I got to get them boys they money’s worth.”
