Shaq's connected to every NBA championship team since 1984
NBA Show/YouTube
It's like six degrees of separation, but with Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.
Dating all the way back to the 1983-84 season, every NBA championship team - including the four he actually played on - has featured at least one of Shaq's former teammates, according to TNT.
| Year | Player(s) | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Greg Kite | Boston Celtics |
| 1985 | Byron Scott | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1986 | Greg Kite | Boston Celtics |
| 1987 | Byron Scott/A.C. Green | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1988 | Byron Scott/A.C. Green | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1989 | Dennis Rodman/John Salley | Detroit Pistons |
| 1990 | Dennis Rodman/John Salley | Detroit Pistons |
| 1991 | Horace Grant | Chicago Bulls |
| 1992 | Horace Grant | Chicago Bulls |
| 1993 | Horace Grant | Chicago Bulls |
| 1994 | Robert Horry | Houston Rockets |
| 1995 | Robert Horry/Tracy Murray | Houston Rockets |
| 1996 | Steve Kerr/Dennis Rodman/Ron Harper/John Salley | Chicago Bulls |
| 1997 | Steve Kerr/Dennis Rodman/Ron Harper and more | Chicago Bulls |
| 1998 | Steve Kerr/Dennis Rodman/Ron Harper and more | Chicago Bulls |
| 1999 | Steve Kerr/Jerome Kersey | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2000 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2001 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2002 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2003 | Steve Kerr/Steve Smith | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2004 | Elden Campbell/Lindsey Hunter | Detroit Pistons |
| 2005 | Linton Johnson/Sean Marks | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2006 | Shaquille O'Neal | Miami Heat |
| 2007 | Robert Horry | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2008 | Ray Allen/Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce and more | Boston Celtics |
| 2009 | Kobe Bryant/Derek Fisher/Luke Walton | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2010 | Kobe Bryant/Derek Fisher/Luke Walton | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2011 | Sasha Pavlovic | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2012 | LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Udonis Haslem/Joel Anthony | Miami Heat |
| 2013 | LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Udonis Haslem and more | Miami Heat |
| 2014 | Boris Diaw/Danny Green | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2015 | Leandro Barbosa | Golden State Warriors |
| 2016 | LeBron James/Mo Williams | Cleveland Cavaliers |
That seemingly improbable streak will continue no matter who emerges from the Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers Finals, as the TNT analyst has competed alongside both LeBron James and Warriors veteran Matt Barnes.
- With h/t to For The Win
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