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Come Fan with UsSaturday, June 20, 2026

Shaq on the Cavs: ‘The Best Team I’ve Ever Played On’

Um… Excuse me? After practice on Thursday, Shaquille O’Neal “raised a few eyebrows” with the following quote, courtesy of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

↵↵[This Cavs team is] “the best team I’ve ever played on. On paper, anyway.”

↵↵Well, fine. Shaq has a history of taking shots at teammates after-the-fact. He’s “subtle digs at Kobe Bryant” into an art form. But that whole on paper thing…

↵On paper, the Lakers team that had Karl Malone, Gary Payton, and Kobe was definitely better.
On paper, Glen Rice, Kobe, and Shaq formed a much better core than Cleveland’s.

↵

On paper, even that Miami championship team—Dwyane Wade, James Posey, Payton again, Antoine Walker, and the NBA Finals officials—absolutely dwarfs the Cleveland bunch.

↵Just what type of paper is Shaq looking at?

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