CLEVELAND – Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t picked out a house in Cleveland yet. He has chosen a jersey number – his old one.
CLEVELAND – Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t picked out a house in Cleveland yet. He has chosen a jersey number – his old one.
Shaq is going back to No. 33.
Traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, the 15-time All-Star has decided to wear 33, the team confirmed Friday. That’s the number O’Neal wore in high school and at LSU before turning pro. O’Neal wore No. 32 when he was in Orlando, Miami and Phoenix.
When he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, O’Neal wore 34 because Nos. 32 and 33 were retired for Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
O’Neal’s trade – and the Orlando Magic’s deal to get Vince Carter – overshadowed this year’s NBA draft. The Cavaliers had been working on a possible trade for months with Phoenix for O’Neal and finally agreed to a package that sent Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a second-round pick in next year’s draft and $500,000 to the Suns.
In Cleveland, O’Neal will be teammates with LeBron James, the latest in a long line of superstar partners to pair with the entertaining enter. O’Neal has previously partnered with Anfernee Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash. He won three titles with Bryant and the Lakers and one with Wade.
James is after his first championship, and the Cavs believe O’Neal can help him get it.
Cleveland’s trade for O’Neal has Cavaliers fans convinced the club can end the city’s 45-year championship drought in the three major sports. However, O’Neal has yet to arrive in town and isn’t expected to make his first trip as a Cavalier to Ohio until next week.
When he does show up, Cleveland is expected to roll out the red carpet for a player who commands the same kind of attention afforded James.
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AP Photo
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