Shaquille O'Neal has shared his insights on the importance of focusing on team success rather than individual titles during the NBA playoffs. Speaking on NBATV, Shaq emphasized to Boston Celtics' players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown that worrying about who is the best player on the team could negatively impact their performance and the outcome of the series. He recounted his experience with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he and Kobe Bryant prioritized winning championships over personal accolades. Shaq advised the players to concentrate on doing what needs to be done to win, rather than fixating on 'useless titles.' In a conversation with Matt Winer, Shaq explained his G-14 classification to Jaylen Brown to illustrate his point.
While imparting wisdom to Jaylen Brown that it doesn’t matter who people say is “the man,” Brown or Tatum, Shaq uses an example where “I’m getting my 40, Kobe’s getting his 39, let’s go win these championships.” 10/10. No notes. Chef’s kiss. AK https://t.co/QOHdJvPjYQ
Shaq: "Do not get fixated on useless titles. Do what you gotta do." Matt Winer: "That made sense to you?" Jaylen Brown: "No." 😅 Shaq: "Okay well let me break it down... It don't matter who the man is!" (via @NBATV) https://t.co/CISgyV2aXr
.@Shaq: “Do not get fixated on useless titles. … It ain’t time for all that right now. Do what you gotta do and get it done.” @MattWinerTV: “That made sense to you?!” Jaylen Brown: “No.” 🤣 (via @NBATV) https://t.co/3G2mxb9BUv
Shaq: "Do not get fixated on useless titles. Do what you gotta do." @MattWinerTV: "That made sense to you?" Jaylen: "No." Shaq: "Okay well let me break it down... It don't matter who the man is!" Shaq had to break down his G-14 classification to JB 🤣😭 https://t.co/YX05XKQDbd
"In my Lakers' runs, I wasn't the best player on the team... I knew my role... If [Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown] are worried about useless titles... Not only will it effect this game, but they will lose the series." — Shaq 👀 (via @NBATV) https://t.co/AyKPJTjs5M