Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Much has been made of the Sacramento Kings being voted as the worst franchise in sports by ESPN. I found their ranking to be a bit harsh, but I also can’t argue too much against it, given the team’s history, or lackthereof. So on the heels of that ranking from ESPN, came the good news that Shaquille O’Neal was buying into the struggling franchise. O’Neal’s investment couldn’t have come at a better time.
The announcement of Shaq becoming a partial owner of the team was shocking to many, simply because of his history with the team. Shaq of course deemed them The Queens back in the early 2000′s and at the same time, he and the Los Angles Lakers ended many of Sacramento’s seasons. The Kings could never beat the Lakers and Shaq was the main reason why.
Related: Kings Want ESPN To Know They’re Not the Worst Franchise in Sports
But on the other hand, it’s not surprising that Shaq invested into a team like the Kings. He wants to make them great and help them build their own legacy. Current day Shaq is all about that sort of thing, as opposed to the guy who signed with the Lakers back in the day. I still don’t think O’Neal cares much for the Lakers, despite the fact that they retired his jersey number and that they somewhat buried the hatchet this past season. I’m sure he’s now focused on helping to make the Kings the best team in California (as crazy as that sounds).
One thing is for sure, Shaq and company have a lot of work to do. The Kings almost relocated to Seattle and Sacramento was almost deprived of its beloved team. It’s a new era for the franchise and to have O’Neal jump on board is a great thing to get some positive momentum moving going forward.
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