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"I owe the whole state an apology" - Shaquille O'Neal admits he was wrong about Knicks
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- "I owe the whole state an apology" - Shaquille O'Neal admits he was wrong about Knicks
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the biggest men on the planet. He stands 7'1", weighs more than 300 pounds, and is an imposing figure wherever he goes. However, it takes a much bigger man to admit that they are wrong, which is what O'Neal recently did when he acknowledged his mistake in not believing that the New York Knicks are legitimate title contenders.
After the Knicks completed a sweep of the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers to book their ticket to the 2026 NBA Finals — their first appearance on that stage since 1999 — O'Neal issued an apology to the City That Never Sleeps.
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Shaq loves the Knicks
The Knicks are on a roll right now. After losing two of their first three games in the playoffs, they have rattled off 11 straight victories to advance to the NBA Finals and earn a shot at stopping a 53-year title drought.
While Jalen Brunson continues to anchor the offense, averaging 26.9 points in their run to the finals, he has not done so alone. The offense has flowed smoothly, with all five starters averaging in double figures and veteran guard Landry Shamet coming off the bench to provide sharpshooting and floor spacing.
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O'Neal has liked what he's seen and didn't hesitate to apologize for his earlier sentiments about the Knicks.
"They are so good. I owe the whole state and all five boroughs of New York City an apology," he said . "So I want to apologize to Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Al Palagonia, and all the superstars that were sitting there. They are really good. They have it."
"It's led by Jalen Brunson, who's the true definition of a great player making the players around him better," Shaq continued. "In Game 1, when he mounted that comeback and went crazy, Cleveland adjusted and said, 'Okay, we're going to double him.' Then he kicked it to his guys and Josh Hart started going off, and Shamet started playing well."
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As the self-appointed president of the mythical "Big Man Alliance," O'Neal is always looking at how the league's best big men are playing. And based on his lofty standards, Karl-Anthony Towns ' averages of 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game aren't cutting it.
However, O'Neal cut him some slack, acknowledging that his willingness to play within a system that's clearly working has made the Knicks tough to beat.
"Karl-Anthony Towns isn't really dominating the way I want him to dominate, but he's playing really nice, smooth basketball right now. He's getting everybody involved and initiating the offense from the top of the key," he said.
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A cohesive unit
O'Neal added that watching this Knicks team play gives him flashbacks of his last loss in the NBA Finals, which happened in 2004, during his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers , when they were stunned by the Detroit Pistons . Despite having a stacked roster that featured Kobe Bryant , Gary Payton and Karl Malone, they were defeated 4-1 by a Pistons team that seemingly moved in unison on both ends.
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"They've just got a bunch of guys who are together. Because when we look at that Detroit team, no disrespect to all those guys, but they didn't really have those huge superstar names that everybody talked about all the time," O'Neal said. "You know, Chauncey Billups was there, Rasheed was there, Hall of Famer Ben Wallace was there — but they were a collective group."
"They played together, they fought hard, and they never gave up," he continued. "And when I look at this New York Knicks team, it reminds me so much of that group."
It remains to be seen if this Knicks team can complete its Cinderella run in this postseason. But with everything the franchise has gone through in the last 53 years, getting four more wins doesn't seem like a stretch.
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Related: Ben Simmons chose fishing in the Bahamas over the Knicks' Finals run
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
