Shaquille O'Neal spares time to watch Duke-bound Cooper Flagg in action during Nike EYBL Scholastic Showcase
Even over a decade since he retired from professional basketball, Shaquille O'Neal remains attached to the game. He is most well-known nowadays for his in-depth analysis and hilarious antics on TNT's "Inside the NBA" with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
Shaq is also often seen as part of the audience in high-profile games around the league and other basketball events. Recently, O'Neal and the NBA Future Starts Now posted a photo on Instagram of him in attendance for the Nike EYBL Scholastic Showcase game between Montverde Academy and Link Academy.
This Friday's game was played in Las Vegas with several NBA scouts in attendance, who kept a close watch on consensus five-star recruit Cooper Flagg. He is widely regarded as one of the best upcoming players, and many believe that he will be among the top picks once he becomes NBA-eligible in 2025.
The Eagles won the game 71-59, with Flagg adding 15 points and nine rebounds. The matchup also featured Link's No. 4 prospect, Tre Johnson. MVA plays AZ-Compass on Saturday at 4:45 pm ET on day two of the Nike event.
Flagg recently committed to play college basketball for Duke after fielding offers from other Division I colleges.
Flagg was instrumental in helping Team USA win the gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. In the finals against Spain, he contributed 10 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals and four blocks, as USA won 79-67.
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Shaquille O'Neal also helped Team USA win gold in his playing days
Shaq was one of the most dominant forces in basketball during his prime. In the NBA, he was a 15-time All-Star and was the league's leading scorer twice. His dominance earned him the Most Valuable Player Award in 2000, and he was also a part of several All-NBA First and Second teams.
O'Neal also led the LA Lakers to three straight championships from 2000-02 and was a key part of the Miami Heat's title in 2006. For his contributions, his jerseys were later retired by both franchises (#34 with the Lakers and #32 with the Heat).
However, aside from his incredible NBA career, Shaquille O'Neal is also highly decorated in international basketball. In 1994, Shaq was named The FIBA World Championship MVP.
That year, he averaged 18 points and 8.5 rebounds per game through eight contests. He scored more than 20 points four times, with his highest-scoring game of 29 points coming against Puerto Rico on Aug. 10. His other 20-point performances were against Brazil (27 pts, Aug. 7), China (22 pts, Aug. 5) and Russia (21 pts, Aug. 12).
Shaq also won an Olympic gold medal with the 1996 Summer Olympics team that also featured David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon. The team went 8-0 on its way to the gold medal.
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