Too early? Shaquille O’Neal makes confident NBA Finals prediction involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder

Shaquille O'Neal believes that the conference toppers, the OKC Thunder, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be in the 2025 finals.

Too early? Shaquille O’Neal makes confident NBA Finals prediction involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder

Shaquille O'Neal predicts the OKC Thunder to be NBA finalists

Shaquille O’Neal has been an avid OKC Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fan for a long time now. The NBA legend gave his all while backing SGA for MVP last year. The veteran even got into fights and brawls with others to support Gilgeous-Alexander. Nothing much has changed, as Shaq is already putting Oklahoma in 2025 championship conversations in mid-January.

In the east, the Cleveland Cavaliers have broken records this season with their winning streaks. On the other hand in the tough Western Conference, OKC Thunder are currently at the top. This led Shaquille O’Neal to make an early prediction for the finals during Inside the NBA.

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Can we make up our own parlay?… OKC and Cleveland in the finals. That’s what I know will happen for a fact.

Shaquille O’Neal said

As this time Charles Barkley was not there to put Shaq in his place, the Hall of Famer stayed firm. Which is exactly what happened the last time O’Neal made such a prediction. Last season, as the Thunder faced the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, Shaq anticipated conference finals for them. But the team ended up losing to the Dallas Mavericks.

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Shaq’s foresight about the Cavs also seems somewhat far from accurate. Earlier this season, the East toppers met with the reigning champs during their franchise-record 15-wins streak. O’Neal’s confidence was at its peak as he bet Barkley $5 Million for the Celtics’ loss which he ended up losing. Hence, understanding the history, Shaq’s prediction for finals raised more than a few eyebrows.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not Shaquille O’Neal’s favorite OKC player anymore

Last season to support SGA as an MVP candidate, Shaq went to extreme lengths, as far as releasing a diss track. The former champion also did not hesitate to express his feelings directly to the actual winner Nikola Jokic. After all of that, now the 52-year-old is switching sides.

In Shaq’s defense, the legendary center is choosing someone else over Gilgeous-Alexander for a good reason. At the beginning of the year, Shaq was singing high praise for the Thunder for their incredible, game-winning role-playing. While giving the roster a pat on the back, O’Neal revealed Jalen Williams was his favorite.

I’m going to have to say OKC by far. They’re definitely together. They know their roles. They enjoy playing with each other. My favorite player on the team is not Shai even though he’s the best player. I like J-Dub.

Shaquille O’Neal said
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Since then O’Neal has believed that OKC is and will be the best in the West. Only time will tell whether the star is accurate or not. A glimpse of the shot in the dark about the 2025 finals might be visible next week as the OKC will face the Cavaliers on January 16th.