365: 148: Crazy Summer under the Influence of the Butterfly Effect (Votes for Monthly Tickets Please!) 365: 148: Crazy Summer under the Influence of the Butterfly Effect (Votes for Monthly Tickets Please!) In the summer of 1996, Michael Jordan’s transfer news was bombarding the sports world.
But the sports world still belonged to the Olympics.
Roger, though not a participant, still watched a few games and made his presence felt.
After all, the event was held in the United States, which was very convenient.
Roger watched the game between the Chinese Team and the Dream Team, witnessing the young upstart bloodying Grant Hill and Liu Yudong clinching 13 of the team’s 28 points in the first half.
Although the final result was a terrible loss, the thought of the men’s basketball team in the 2023 World Cup…
actually made Roger quite content!
At the end of the match, the live camera cut to Roger in the stands, and then to Wang Zhizhi.
Steve Jones, who was commenting on the match, believed, “Wang Zhizhi will be the second world-class player from China after Roger, we shall wait and see.”
In the following days, Roger came to watch the Olympic basketball final, cheering on his good buddy Shaq.
But the result was heartbreaking for Shaq.
Before the final began, Dream Team head coach Lenny Wilkens pulled over a warming-up O’Neal and said, “Hey Shaq, you know, this is David Robinson’s last national team game, so I want to give him more playing time.
I hope you understand.”
Although he despised the Admiral, he was not completely devoid of emotional intelligence.
It was the Admiral’s last Olympic Games, and it was the final; playing a bit more was indeed fine.
Anyway, no matter what, he would still get around twenty minutes of game time.
But Shaq never could have imagined that in the final against Yugoslavia, the coach only let him play for five minutes!
In 1992, the Dream Team had discarded Shaq, choosing Laettner over him.
Shaq had always held onto this grudge, considering it a moment of humiliation.
Four years later, O’Neal was already a super NBA star with two championship rings, and the only person on the team with more rings than him was Pippen.
Shaq believed with his current status, he would never again be disrespected.
He felt he was no different from his 1992 self, benched like a cheerleader captain, ignored by everyone.
At the moment he received the gold medal, Shaq had little joy in his heart.
He simply swore to himself that he would never again play any damn game for the United States team.
After the game, outside the sports hall, a reporter asked Roger, “When will you play for the Chinese Team in the Olympic Games?”
“Maybe when one day the Olympics are held in China?” Roger said with a smile.
Everyone just took Roger’s words as a joke.
For O’Neal, the summer of 1996 was extremely frustrating.
Despite two consecutive championships, his heart was stifled.
He had won two championships, but the Magic management did not respect him.
He had won two championships, but his Dream Team teammates did not respect him.
He had won two championships, yet the Dream Team coach had him play only five minutes in the most important game of the final!
That was just too damn ironic!
Why can’t I get any respect?
O’Neal kept thinking about this question.
Furthermore, Shaq’s reputation in Orlando plummeted to rock bottom.
He was delayed in officially signing a contract due to the Olympics, but under some media’s ulterior motives, Orlando fans thought Shaq was stalling to hike his price.
He was branded a money-grubber, an avaricious villain.
For a moment, O’Neal had a terrible thought flash through his mind: “Screw Orlando?”
But this thought really was fleeting; he longed for a three-peat, he longed for a Finals MVP to prove the team’s three consecutive championships were also his.
However, his feelings for Orlando and the Magic Team had indeed changed.
So, Shaq called his agent Armato, “Let’s go sign the contract tomorrow, but the contract needs to be changed.”
The next day, the Magic Team finally released the official announcement; Shaquille O’Neal had indeed signed his name on that four-year, $80 million contract.
But few fans noticed that O’Neal had added a player option for ’97.
This meant that just one year after the contract took effect, he could opt out and re-enter the free agent market.
What did this signify?
It signified that Shaq did not want to tie his future to Orlando.
The chance for a three-peat was the sole reason for his decision to stay.
This decision might seem minor, but its actual impact was huge.
Jerry West therefore stopped all recruitment efforts, deciding to save cap space for next year’s Shaq.
In his view, Shaq would definitely opt out of his contract next year.
Whether he won the championship or not, O’Neal had no reason to continue staying with the Magic.
Because Shaq must have been thoroughly disillusioned with Orlando.
Moreover, West’s previous meeting with Shaq had been pleasant, and he believed they both made a good impression on each other.
So, if O’Neal became a free agent again, the Lakers would be closer to him than any other team!
This summer, even if the Lakers went all out, they could only sign the likes of Allan Houston, Juwan Howard.
Instead of that, why not wait and bag the big one next year!
The Atlanta Hawks also put a halt to signing Dikembe Mutombo, with the same reasoning as the Lakers.
Atlanta wanted to save cap space for a full-on chase for Shaq next summer.
Dikembe Mutombo is great, no doubt about that.
But when compared to O’Neal?