Crave Online: Are you excited for the move to Cleveland this year?
Shaquille O’Neal: Yes, I am. I actually got traded to a good team who’s once piece away so I think if everything goes right and we’re injury free, possibly we could be there at the end.
Crave Online: What’s the process of acclimating to a new team?
Shaquille O’Neal: Nothing at all. I’m going to just go in, be myself. I’ve been a people person my whole career so I’m fine.
Crave Online: Are these folks you’ve known from playing against them? Does it ever cross over socially?
Shaquille O’Neal: Not really, no. I’ve been friends with LeBron ever since he came to the league so we already have a pretty good relationship.
Crave Online: What are your hopes for the new basketball season?
Shaquille O’Neal: To win the whole thing so I can quit playing.
Crave Online: What is Shaq. Vs.?
Shaquille O’Neal: Well, basically the concept came up with Michael Phelps, the swimmer. Me being like the male couch potato bravado guy that thinks he can do it all. I said, “Look, if Mike has to swim there and back, I gotta swim one way, there’s no way he can beat me.” A friend of mine whose my agent said, “You’re out of your mine, da da da da da.” If I’m racing Lance Armstrong ten miles and he gives me a three mile head start, no way he can beat me. So we brought that idea to ABC and we’re challenging all the elite athletes at their sport.
Crave Online: Are you anticipating the swimming part of the challenge?
Shaquille O’Neal: For me, it’s also like a cross training. It’ll probably be my last year of playing so I’m just working out with some of the greatest athletes, just having a great time doing it.
Crave Online: David Beckham denied your challenge. Got a message for him?
Shaquille O’Neal: I understand that he’s scared. Some of these guys, if I say something and then it comes true for me, it really looks bad on them. So let’s just say he wants to come out and try to score on me and he couldn’t do it. That’d make him look really bad so some athletes don’t like to take that chance.
Crave Online: Who’s your dream contender?
Shaquille O’Neal: I would like to, believe it or not, I would like to see if I could drive it further than Tiger Woods.
Crave Online: Have you ever considered doing a reality show like T.O. does?
Shaquille O’Neal: No.
Crave Online: Have you found anything you’re not as good as you thought you’d be at?
Shaquille O’Neal: No. No.
Crave Online: You’re good at everything?
Shaquille O’Neal: No, it’s not that. It’s just that I’m a guy, I’m an athlete. I have a certain mentality that if I put my mind to doing something, I can do it. So it’s not that I think I’m good at everything. It’s just that my mindset is very, very different.
Crave Online: Were you nervous about anything?
Shaquille O’Neal: No, not at all.
