Wade’s farewell draws Shaq envy
O’Neal happy about Heat player’s final run
Shaquille O’Neal goes strong on former teammate, state of Heat.
MIAMI — Envy rarely is an emotion associated with Shaquille O’Neal. Thursday was an exception.
“I’m jealous,” the former Miami Heat All-Star said as Carnival Cruise Line welcomed the Horizon to Miami. “I’m jealous right now. I wanted the whole farewell tour.”
O’Neal’s words, during his appearance as Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer, came four days after his former Heat championship teammate Dwyane Wade announced he would return for a 16th and final NBA season.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Sun Sentinel aboard the Horizon, O’Neal discussed sharing the 2006 NBA championship alongside Wade with the Heat, the current mid-pack state of the Heat, and whether Jimmy Butler could emerge as part of a roster makeover by Pat Riley and Micky Arison. He also spoke of how he still viewed the Heat as a prime NBA free-agent destination.
But it was Wade who had O’Neal’s initial focus.
“I remember watching Kareem’s and Magic’s and Bird’s farewell tour,” he said of his fel-
low Hall of Famers. “Every great, historic player deserves one. D-Wade is a historic player. And there’s a lot of barbershop talk of him being the second- or the third-best two-guard in the game. And when you bring his name up, there’s nobody even close, as far as three, four, five, six and all that. So he is one of the top twoguards to play the game.
“I’m happy for him that he can have this farewell tour, especially here in Wade County.”
Unlike Wade, or even former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, O’Neal went quietly into retirement after an injurymarred 2010-11 season with the Boston Celtics.
He said Wade deserves all the accolades that will accompany this 2018-19 ride with the Heat.
“He’s one of the best twoguards to ever play the game,” he said. “He came in quietly, worked his way up to become one of the best players ever. His story is similar to Kawhi Leonard.
“He wasn’t really talked about coming in. His name was mentioned in the draft, but you had a lot of other guys that were talked about a little bit more than he was and he just quietly made a name for himself. The funny thing is, before I came to Miami, I never knew who he was. I don’t think I played against Miami that year, so I’d never seen him, never heard of him, and we were out of the playoffs and they were in the playoffs, and like then, ‘Who is this kid?’ So when it came time for me to make a move, I know I needed somebody who was as good as Kobe, or close, that I could bring to the next level. So I chose to come [to Miami]. I think it was one of my better business decisions ever.”
Unlike during O’Neal’s two-plus seasons with the team, the Heat have been in somewhat of a mid-tier cycle since LeBron James’ free-agency departure to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 offseason. But he envisions resurrection.
“There’s not that many superstars that are out there,” he said. “And a lot of the guys that are superstars are tied up in big contracts. Pat’s always done a great job of getting respectful players, players that are going to come in here and work hard.
“I think, by chance, they still could make a move for another big-name guy. Everyone wants to live in Miami. Everyone wants to play in Miami. But it has to be the right move, the right fit for the franchise, for the community, at the right time. Pat and Micky don’t mind waiting, waiting, waiting until they get the perfect move.”