Shaquille O’Neal Adds to NBA Draft Rigging Controversy with His ‘Hot or Cold’ Story

Shaquille O'Neal was selected 1st overall by the Orlando Magic back in 1992 after he became the consensus top prospect.

Shaquille O’Neal Adds to NBA Draft Rigging Controversy with His ‘Hot or Cold’ Story

Shaquille O'Neal reveals wild Draft Lottery story (Image via FirstSportz)

Usually, No. 1 overall picks tend to be generational talents who go on to make a mark for the franchise they are selected to and the league throughout their careers. Shaquille O’Neal did the same, becoming a Hall of Famer after dominating the league and winning four NBA titles.

He was selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic. But he did not remain there for long and bolted when it became apparent that he needed to move to win. He wanted to stay and win with Penny Hardaway, but the Magic were not doing enough in terms of bringing in players who could help them achieve that dream.

Had he stayed, and the Magic had won some titles, maybe his career could have seen a different graph. As a generational talent, the Magic missed on a chance to cement themselves as a successful franchise. But it almost did not go that way as O’Neal revealed while speaking with Ashley Nevel on her podcast.

In 1992, the Draft was in June or something, and I meet with Mr. Stern in March. He says to me, ‘Hey, I know you can’t wait to come to the NBA.’ Then me pulled me to his side, ‘You want to play where it’s cold or where it’s hot?’ He asked me that, and I was like, ‘hot’.

Shaquille O’Neal said

The Big Aristotle added that a few days later, the draft lottery took place, and the team that won the draft turned out to be the Orlando Magic. That meant he would play in the ‘hot’ weather of Florida. He did not think of it much at the time, but agrees that certain situations do pose questions.

Shaquille O’Neal does not believe the draft was rigged

The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery stoked a lot of controversy when the Dallas Mavericks received the No. 1 overall pick. Shaquille O’Neal addressed that situation on this podcast. But he also agreed that he does not believe the lottery is rigged.

Shaquille O'Neal does not believe Cooper Flagg's NBA destination was rigged
Shaquille O’Neal does not believe Cooper Flagg’s NBA destination was rigged (Image via Open Source/X)

There may be countless stories of draft lotteries being rigged, but he believes it is all circumstantial. If the rigging were true, he agreed with host Ashley Nevel’s logic that the other owners would be upset. The league is made up of all the teams, and team owners have a say in many matters.

Therefore, it is unlikely that tanking teams such as the Utah Jazz or Brooklyn Nets would allow the league to just hand a generational prospect in the form of Cooper Flagg to a team that traded away another generational player in Luka Doncic and is still an NBA title contender.

He agrees that the situation did cause a lot of conspiracy theories to take shape. But he does not believe a league looking to field a competitive field would want the top pick to go to a title contender. Cooper Flagg could have elevated any other bottom-ranked team and made it competitive over time.

Shaquille O’Neal and Ashley Nevel will check next year’s draft for clues

Shaquille O’Neal dispelled Ashley Nevel’s earlier belief that the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery was rigged. But she still was not ready to let go of her logic that there must be something at play here. She suggested that next year will prove whether the Draft Lottery is rigged or not.

Her logic was that AJ Dybansta, another generational player, will be eligible to be drafted next season. He is considered to be better than Cooper Flagg and plays in Utah. He has committed to BYU, which makes him a prime candidate to be a part of the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz tanked this season, hoping to get Flagg. But if the Jazz get the No. 1 overall pick next season, it will be further proof that the league is rigging the draft lottery to aid certain teams. AJ Dybansta to the Jazz will be the perfect way to bring balance to the league.

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