"I'm going to bring one person in"—Shaquille O'Neal shares his first move if he becomes the owner of the Orlando Magic
Diesel believes he and his associates can turn the Magic back into a legitimate playoff contender.
© Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is setting up another big business move. This time, he wants to buy the Orlando Magic — the team that drafted him and where he spent his first few years. If he becomes the team owner, O’Neal will make one key move that he believes would immediately change the team’s culture.
Changing the culture
Shaq is well-aware that the Magic haven’t been one of the hottest teams for the past few years. They’ve only made two playoff appearances in the last decade. The Big Diesel believes he and his associates can turn the Magic back into a legitimate playoff contender.
"This message goes up to the DeVos family. If you're ready to sell the Orlando Magic, sell it to somebody that's going to take it to the next level — that's us,” O’Neal said.
If Shaq becomes an owner of the franchise, he’ll immediately take in a close confidant of his to become general manager. And it’s none other than Dennis Scott, Shaq’s former teammate with the Magic.
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"I'm going to bring one person in that I trust. That's going to be D-Scott. And then D-Scott can pick anybody else," Shaq said, per the Big Podcast with Shaq.
No to micro
With great basketball minds in Shaq and Scott, there’s a pretty good chance the Magic will return to playoff contention. However, Shaq quickly panned such predictions. As an owner, his job is to look at the team’s finances. When it comes to crafting the roster, he’ll give all the responsibility to Scott. The former Magic forward clarified what Shaq meant.
"What he's trying to say so people understand. We're so similar from the standpoint that we give people responsibilities because we trust them. We don't like to micromanage. So what Shaq is saying, what we did as teammates, how all of us were together. I was the voice behind the big fella saying this is who we need. So that's why he's saying, let me be GM, let me be the voice, let me call people and say 'Come play with us. Come to Orlando,'” Scott said.
It’s still a matter of wait-and-see if O’Neal and Scott could turn the Magic into a powerhouse squad. Before everything else, the DeVos family should be first willing to sell the franchise to Shaq.
Once this happens, then fans, for the first time ever, see how Shaq operates as a front-office man. Will he turn the Magic into one of the most dominant teams ever? Or will he join the other great players who had horrible careers as front office executives?
