NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is reportedly set to transition to the college ranks as the general manager of Sacramento State’s men’s basketball program.
However, fans are less than optimistic about the big man’s front office prospects.
NBA Fans Roast Shaquille O’Neal Over Sacramento State GM Role
On Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that O’Neal will follow his son, Shaqir O’Neal, to Sacramento State in a “voluntary” GM role. The 6-foot-7 forward transferred out of Florida A&M late last month to join the Hornets ahead of his senior season.
The father-son duo joins former Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby, who was named head coach of the program last month. While Shams Charania called the pairing of Bibby and the elder O’Neal a “star” GM-coach tandem, fans aren’t convinced that O’Neal’s on-court success will translate to a front office role.
After news of O’Neal’s hiring broke, fans on X were quick to question Sacramento State’s decision, citing his lack of GM experience. Many predicted the program could regress under the leadership of the four-time NBA champion.
“Teams not gonna win a game,” one fan said.
“This man going to make a whole team go broke,” another wrote.
“Programs cooked,” one user remarked.
“We letting anybody be a GM now,” another added.
“Bro bouta sign players like he’s picking snacks at 7-Eleven,” one more quipped.
Meanwhile, some questioned how O’Neal could be entrusted with an executive role without regularly tuning into live game action.
“Uh! He already doesn’t watch the games, how is he going to GM a team, smh, all bad!” one fan said.
“He doesn’t even watch the games! Smh,” another commented.
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O’Neal Enters Year 1 as Sacramento State GM With Minimal Pressure
Fortunately for O’Neal, his unconventional role as Sacramento State’s GM comes with relatively low expectations.
The Hornets finished 7-25 last season under interim coach Michael Czepil and haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since joining Division I in 1991. In that time, they’ve recorded just two winning seasons, the most recent being a 16-14 campaign in 2019–20.
Given the program’s modest track record and the unpaid nature of O’Neal’s position, the 2000 NBA MVP is unlikely to face significant pressure in Year 1. Instead, he’s expected to focus on boosting recruiting, enhancing sponsorship opportunities, improving in-game entertainment, and offering mentorship to players.