Shaq disagrees with Heat retiring Jordan, Russell's jerseys
Shaquille O'Neal admits he doesn't like seeing the jerseys of Michael Jordan and Bill Russell hanging in the Miami Heat's rafters.
On the latest episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq," O'Neal said he doesn't think Jordan or Russell should have their jersey numbers retired by the Heat given that neither of them played for Miami.
"I hate the fact that they hang up other people's jerseys," O'Neal said. "I hope I'm not disrespecting anybody by this term, but you know I watch a lot of movies, right? This thing is ours, this is what we built.
"Michael Jordan ain't never played for the Heat. Bill Russell ain't never played for the Heat. You did your own thing with your little Celtics family, your Chicago family, but this Miami thing - I was one of the original championship families."
The Heat retired Jordan's No. 23 jersey in 2003 to honor his contributions to the game of basketball. Russell's No. 6 was retired across the NBA following his death on July 31, 2022.
O'Neal played in Miami for four seasons, helping the Heat win their first-ever title in 2006. His jersey was retired by the franchise in 2016.