Shaquille O’Neal Buys Minority Stake in the Kings
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STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Former NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal has bought a minority share of the Sacremento Kings, reports ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst.
O’Neal will be introduced as a member of the team’s new ownership group on Tuesday.
“What interested me in this deal is the new vision, the new Kings, the new everything,” O’Neal told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview on Monday. “I’ve always wanted to be part of something like this. …It’s going to be great.”
O’Neal has been communicating with new owner Vivek Ranadive throughout the summer after Ranadive asked him to mentor big man DeMarcus Cousins.
O’Neal once called the team the “Sacramento Queens” after a grueling seven game Western Conference Finals series in 2002.
Already aboard for the new Kings makeover is new general manager Pete D’Alessandro, new coach Mike Malone and Hall of Famer Chris Mullin as an advisor.
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