Shaquille O'Neal lets Pat Riley know how he really feels during Heat jersey retirement
Shaquille O’Neal spent only 3½ seasons with the Miami Heat, but it was enough to bring the franchise its first title. And the organization repaid the Hall of Fame big man for his time in South Beach, retiring his No. 32 on Thursday night at halftime of the Heat’s game against the Lakers, one of Shaq’s former teams.
O’Neal, who averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in Miami, saw his jersey raised to the rafters in a ceremony that included his mom riding a miniature truck, a nod to the one he stepped out of during his introductory press conference in 2006.
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Pat Riley, current president of the Heat and Shaq’s former head coach in Miami, then took center stage, initially pranking O’Neal.
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Then Riley fondly remembered the time he spent coaching the Diesel, reliving the conversation he had with Heat owner Micky Arison when the team was preparing to trade for O’Neal.
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Shaq then took the mic, revealing the time he asked Riley to move back practice because the players were partying too much on South Beach. Then O’Neal let his former coach know how he really feels.
“Pat, a lot of people think we have problems; we don’t have problems,” O’Neal said. “I love you and I respect you. I respect this organization. I respect this family. And the day you decided to take over [as head coach], I knew we were going to win.”
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