NBA Finals: An impressive Shaq stat ends after an incredible 37-year run

All good things come to an end in sports, when the NBA Finals began, Shaq’s improbable teammate streak snapped.

Shaquille O’Neal played for six teams — the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics — during his 19-year NBA career. His list of teammates extends to a whopping 170 players.

While that number is high, the next fact is gonna blow your mind. This is the first NBA Finals in 37-seasons not to feature a teammate of Shaq.

What’s even crazier is that the stat did not have to end this season; Shaq still has eight active former teammates in the NBA: LeBron James, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, Udonis Haslem, Robin Lopez, and Jared Dudley.

Six of those players were in the playoffs this year, and Rondo made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals with the LA Clippers. Maybe if Joel Embiid was not hobbled during the East Semis, Green and the Sixers keep the stat going.

If you were curious, it was the 2007-08 Boston Celtics who featured the most former Shaq teammates, with eight. Those elite eight were Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey, Leon Powe, and Rondo.

For an even more in-depth look at the Shaq Stat check out this post on our sister site Lake Show Life where Jared Hopkins took a deep dive into the history of this stat.

In the end, as the phrase goes all good things, must come to an end. Although the consecutive part of this stat has concluded, perhaps a few more of Shaq’s teammates can appear in the Finals a few more times before the final eight slowly trickle out of the league. Yes, that includes LeBron too.

The 2021 NBA Finals continue Sunday as the Phoenix Suns attempt to take a commanding 3-0 series lead while the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to land its first punch of the series.