WALTHAM — The money didn’t bring Shaquille O’Neal to Boston. He easily could spend the $2.8 million he’ll earn over the next two seasons on Justin Bieber memorabilia. It was a chance meeting in Italy with Celtics coach Doc Rivers, at which Rivers did some coaxing.
Happenstance allegedly brought the two of them together in Italy where they were able to talk about things. A title was the topic. It always is. But it was one other tidbit that Rivers threw out that raised the Diesel’s ears.
“He has a 1 p.m. practice,’’ O’Neal said.
When you’ve lived 38 years and spent the last 18 crashing into every big man from Arvydas Sabonis to Dwight Howard, late practices are one of the bigger perks. After another meeting with Rivers in Orlando, Fla., and after O’Neal signed a two-year contract, he arrived in Waltham yesterday. The man of a million nicknames (the Big Aristotle, the Diesel) with seemingly a million more to comb through (the Big Dig, the Big Shamrock), was resplendent in his charcoal suit and big bow tie.
He went through all the formalities — the grin and grabs with the organization’s higher-ups, the point-and-clicks with his sixth NBA jersey — then cut to the issues at hand — questions about how hungry he is at this late stage of his career, about his relationship with Kendrick Perkins (the foe-turned-friend who needed stitches in his lip after taking an elbow from O’Neal in May), and about his declaration that the next two years will be his last in the league.
He’s set the timer on his career already — “730 days’’ — and he doesn’t plan on wasting any time. Asked if he had the same type of desire that made him a Rookie of the Year, an MVP, an All-Star MVP, and a Finals MVP, and won him four titles, O’Neal repeated the question as if he were in a spelling bee.
“Do I have that same type of hunger? Yes. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be here. I don’t like wasting people’s time. I don’t like wasting my time. I’ve missed over 200 games. So I owe myself and I owe everybody two to three years left. I signed a two-year deal here. I’m going to give it all I’ve got. And I think Doc and the people will see we still have hunger, we’re still trying to play, and I’m still trying to win. Because at the end of the day, when I close my book, it’s all about winning.’’
Celtics president Danny Ainge said the courting of O’Neal started early in free agency, with speculation bubbling while the Celtics were in Orlando for summer league. The talks were on and off over the course of the last five weeks.
The Hawks were among O’Neal’s suitors, but aside from his asking price, they already had a young, budding All-Star center in Al Horford.
