Photo: Alex Rodriguez catches up with NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal during Game 1 of Timberwolves' conference finals
During Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, Alex Rodriguez and Shaquille O'Neal were spotted together. They were seen shaking hands and talking at one of the time-outs during the game.
A-Rod shared a video on his Instagram story, showing the meeting:
“Shaq and A-Rod in Minnesota @shaq,” Rodriguez captioned the story.
Rodriguez is not unknown in the basketball world. In 2021, he partnered with his fellow entrepreneur Mark Lore to try and buy the Minnesota Timberwolves and got 36% of the team in 2022. In the next year, they acquired the Minnesota Lynx women’s NBA team.
They were supposed to make another payment of $600 million to acquire another 40% of the team after three years. But Glenn Taylor, the majority owner, disputed the deal, and still now it has not been finalised.
On May 19, Rodriguez said in an interview with Fox that they have been after the team for three years, and it's a dream opportunity for them to get the team when it's performing so well.
Before he became involved with team management in the NBA, Rodriguez was a legendary player on the baseball field. He played 22 seasons with three teams: the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. Meanwhile, Shaq is a legend in the NBA. He has won four titles and was also the MVP in 2000.
Despite great gameplay on Thursday, the Timberwolves lost 108-105 to the Mavericks. They are 2-0 down in the series after losing 109-108 on Friday.
Alex Rodriguez’s hurdles in owning the Timberwolves
A-Rod's Timberwolves dream faces a legal hurdle. After a failed purchase attempt in 2021 with Marc Lore, the duo disagreed with owner Glen Taylor on finances. A-Rod claims he fulfilled all obligations, while Taylor accuses them of jeopardizing the team's competitiveness.
“I don’t need the money, so I think I’ll just keep running it and enjoy it. I like my coach. I like my staff. This way everybody gets to keep their jobs, and I’ll be happy," said Taylor.
Rodriguez and Lore countered by saying that they had made the payment, and it's only left for the NBA to finalise it.
“We have fulfilled our obligations, have all necessary funding and are fully committed to closing our purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its approval process," said Rodriguez and Lore (as per Ap News).
Now, arbitration will decide if A-Rod and Lore get another shot at owning the Minnesota Timberwolves.