- Shaquille O’Neal was the big fish in the early 2000s who practically every player wanted to pair up with
Shaquille O’Neal was the big fish in the early 2000s who practically every player wanted to pair up with. O’Neal was the most dominant player in the game, and when he became available (through free agency or trade), several clubs went all out to bring him to their city.
The Toronto Raptors, led by Vince Carter at the time, came dangerously close to capturing the 4-time champion’s services.
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Carter enlisted O’Neal’s help.
Carter stated in a one-on-one interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jacob Feldman
in 2019 he went out of his way to bring The Diesel to Toronto.
The eight-time All-Star revealed that he was so close to joining forces with O’Neal that it was virtually a done deal.
However, O’Neal’s refusal to live in Canada stopped the deal from being completed.
“The only time I remember trying to bring Shaq to Toronto,” Carter remarked.
“I had a feeling it was close.
It was difficult at the time because… a lot of guys were like, ‘What’s Canada all about?’
It was difficult to persuade players that it was a terrific place unless they were really there.”
Knowing how O’Neal conducted his basketball career, it’s understandable why he didn’t join Carter on the Raptors.
Throughout his career, the big man has stated that his side jobs, notably his music and acting careers, were important to him.
Shaq realized he couldn’t pursue this in Toronto, and he didn’t like the notion of living outside the United States.
It was a brutal reality check for Carter, whose career would have likely been different if he had linked up with O’Neal.
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The NBA’s reality of major markets vs. small markets
As appealing as the prospect of collaborating with a prime Vince Carter was O’Neal’s reasons for declining to take his talents to Toronto accurately reflect the NBA’s market structure.
It’s difficult to fault O’Neal and other players for choosing teams that best suit their living situations and interests.
That’s how the NBA has always functioned, and it’s likely to continue in the future.
For decades, the imbalance between the benefits of large and small markets has governed the league.
It’s smaller than ever, yet it’s still there.
The league is aware of the imbalance and has come to accept it.
They concentrate their national emphasis on major cities,
particularly when it comes to marketing, television exposure, and even individual honors and successes.
One may argue that if Carter had been on a different club, especially in a big market,
he could have had O’Neal as a teammate — but it’s a player’s league, and they get to do most of what they want.
