Shaquille O'Neal Is Jealous Watching the 2026 NBA Finals

Throughout his illustrious playing career and his time as a television broadcaster, Shaquille O'Neal has seen and performed in plenty of raucous NBA environments.

Still, there was something special about the scene at Madison Square Garden before Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Monday, the New York Knicks' first game in the league title series in 27 years. The buzz of the arena and star-studded audience, stood out to O'Neal, who was in the building as part of ESPN's Inside the NBA crew.

"The first part was professional jealousy. But that's how athletes are," Shaq told Men's Journal of his thoughts on the atmosphere. "Secondly, it was an inquisitive state. I want to say, 'OK, who's going to control the night?' Because I remember when I had those opportunities, oh, I had to control the night, buddy. Finals in LA, Halle Berry's there, Janet Jackson there, give me the goddamn ball and don't nobody shoot, I'm about to go to work. So I wanted to see who was controlling it. [San Antonio Spurs star] Victor [Wembanyama] definitely controlled the night."

Wembanyama, the Spurs' brilliant French big man, posted 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists in San Antonio's 115-111, which made the series 2-1 in the Knicks' favor. Impressive, but not as much as the stat line O'Neal says he would have put up if he had played.

"I would have had 45, 19 and three. Would have went to the club after, got all the girls and came back the next game and did the same thing. New York would have been mad at me," he joked.

As for what may be coming next in the NBA Finals, starting with Game 4 at MSG Wednesday, Shaq didn't make any bold predictions, but said a Spurs victory tonight would change everything.

"It's too early to tell. However, if the Spurs win [Wednesday], uh-oh. If the Knicks win, they just have to win one game. But if the Spurs win, now you've got to start all over and it's a best-of-3," he said.

Health is wealth

In 2011, O'Neal played his final NBA game for the Boston Celtics. That same year, after dealing with fatigue, a lack of focus and other symptoms, he was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Since then, the four-time NBA champion and Lilly spokesperson has been treating the condition with dietary changes, increased activity and now Zepbound, a prescription medicine to help people with obesity or obesity-related conditions.

"People always tell you that moderate to severe OSA is serious, but it's an often overlooked condition and affects approximately about 24 million adults in the U.S., especially ones with high obesity," O'Neal said. "Zepbound is the first and only prescription medicine that helps with moderate to severe OSA in adults with obesity. And I said to myself, I want to help bring awareness to this. I think people should get with their doctors, get with their physicians, and see if it's right for them."

No rest for The Diesel

Once the NBA season ends and his ESPN broadcasting responsibilities are over, O'Neal doesn't plan on resting. He told Men's Journal he will be busy growing his SHAQ brand, filming a reality show and obtaining a Masters degree in criminal justice at Sacramento State.

O'Neal is also heavily involved in the restoration of Reebok as a basketball performance brand, having served as the President of Reebok Basketball since October 2023.

"Everything's good. Numbers are up, SHAQ brand numbers up. Everything's good," O'Neal said. "I got [son] Shareef [O'Neal}, Greg [Jordan] and Kyle [Barbuti] running my SHAQ line, the guys over at Reebok running that and I'm kind of just the overseer. Being there having won a lot of championships with teams, you kind of know how to run a team. The number one thing I don't do is I do not micromanage my guys. I let them go. You know, my guys are shooters, they're scorers, they're rebounders, and things are good. When things get bad, then "The Diesel" will step up and have one of those powerful games to get everything back on track. But right now, everything is going perfectly."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 9:29 AM.