Shaquille O’Neal boldly claims his team could beat Michael Jordan’s dream team after clarifying Lakers contract

Shaquille O’Neal, after his retirement, took on various roles, from being a businessman to being a DJ to being an NBA analyst. For the last one, he is probably most adored by his legion of fans.

He even has a podcast to express himself in an unfiltered manner, which he can’t do in front of the TV during his role on the analyst panel. So to speak his mind without any restriction, he again chose his podcast, and this time his hot take includes the arguable GOAT of the game, Michael Jordan.

Shaquille O’Neal’s bold challenge to Michael Jordan’s dream team

Shaquille O’Neal made headlines with his bold statement about Michael Jordan’s dream team, which would have failed to beat his team.

The Dream Team of 1992, led by legendary figures like MJ, who had a lot of influence on the team, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and others, is considered one of the greatest USA teams that went on to win the gold medal at the Barcelona Summer Olympics.

Despite being considered to be a part of the team, Shaq said that he lost the opportunity to Duke’s Christian Laettner, who had a bigger impact on college basketball than the 7’1″ center. Two years later, O’Neal joined the second Dream Team with Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and others that went to the FIBA World Cup.

The 15-time All-Star stunned the NBA community by stating, “Dream Team 2 could’ve beaten Dream Team 1”. With his phenomenal performance, O’Neal earned the Most Valuable Player title while his side won with an 8-0 win-loss record.

The Big Diesel’s performance soon after earned him a call from the Lakers, and now he has revealed some curious details about it that not many knew about.

Shaquille O’Neal explains his $120 million Lakers contract

During a recent podcast with guest Kirk Cousins, Shaquille O’Neal revealed the reality of his bumper LA Lakers contract back in 1996. Shaq previously discussed how he decided to play for the gold and purple brigade after a meeting with Jerry West. Now he provides more details regarding the $120 million contract.

The NFL QB discussed the commitments of owning a team and then, in response, Shaq said, “But, you know what really p*ssed me off about that contract? So, what did I make in LA? $120 (million)? Really made $60 (million).

Shaq revealed that half of his salary from the contract went to taxes which is why the amount was deducted. Los Angeles is known for its high taxes and now, after this revelation from Shaq, fans can get an idea of exactly how much the NBA players actually make from their massive contracts.

Though Big Aristotle did not have a grudge against the Lakers, in reality, he played his heart out for the franchise alongside Kobe Bryant to create one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.