NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has revealed his favourite ever Australian basketballer is none other than Shane Heal.
The four-time NBA champion is Down Under for a speaking tour and has been asked several times which Aussie player he most admires.
Order ‘An Evening with Shaquille O’Neal’ PPV – an uncensored interview live on stage in Australia 7:30PM AEST 25 Aug on Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel
On every occasion, he has responded: “Little Shane”, referring to the diminutive Heal, who made his name playing in the 1990s and 2000s.
Heal represented Australia at four Olympics alongside the likes of Andrew Gaze and Luc Longley and famously took it right up to Team USA’s “Dream Team”.
The point guard piled on 28 points against the USA in a warm up game for the 1996 Olympics and had a fiery encounter with NBA star Charles Barkley.
The USA was too good for the Boomers in the Olympic semi-final but Heal’s feistiness left a lasting impression on O’Neal.
“I only remember the one guy, Shane Heal,” O’Neal told Mark Howard during his ‘An Evening with Shaq’ interview on Thursday night.
“He was going off, he was talking trash. It just kind of woke us up. The Australian guys have always played with great heart and energy.
“It says a lot for your country when you can have six or seven guys come and not just play but have an impact.
“Ben Simmons, Josh Giddey, Shane Heal — Luc Longley won multiple championships. Patty Mills is one of the greatest shooters in the NBA. Your country has represented basketball worldwide many times.”
Heal had two brief stints in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs and is now coaching the Sydney Uni Flames in the WNBL.
“You have a lot of great Australian players,” O’Neal told Sunrise’s David Koch earlier this week.
“My favourite player out of Australia was little Shane. Yes, he was my favourite.
“Yeah, I tried to hurt him (at the Olympics) but he just kept coming back, so that just shows me that Australian players have heart.”
As for Australians currently in the NBA, O’Neal has long been a critic of Ben Simmons and said the Brooklyn Nets star needs to use his mental strength to get on the court and back to his best.
“It’s just up to him,” he said.
“He was once heralded as the next LeBron James. If he can have the mental fortitude to just push past it, he should be a fine player.”
