During the summer, Jermaine O’Neal said he debated whether or not he should come back for an 18th NBA season. With a wife, two children and a home in Dallas, signing with the Golden State Warriors meant putting off being with them for another year.
For the Warriors, the grizzled veteran could have made no better choice. O’Neal decided to sign on, seeking his elusive first championship victory, and to become a leader younger players could look to for advice.
So late into his career, O’Neal knows it’s his mind, and not his body, that now has the most to offer teams. Just a few days ago he told the NBA Hangtime blog that’s he’s spent as much time planning his family’s future as he has his basketball one.
“Sometimes as a black athlete we get judged by what we can do with our feet and our hands and not enough of what we can do with our minds,” O’Neal said. “I want to show people just how successful I can be away from basketball.”
His experience shines through whenever he speaks, whether it’s to the cameras or to his teammates. It become even clearer Tuesday night after the Warriors recovered from a 27-point deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors in the biggest comeback victory in team history.
Asked what brought the Warriors back, Klay Thompson said “At halftime, Jermaine O’Neal gave one of the realest speeches I’ve ever heard. He said we’ll see what we’re made of in the second half.” O’Neal then played most of the second half at center, finishing with 11 points and 8 rebounds, helping the Warriors to a 64-28 run to finish the game.
The gist of his halftime speech, O’Neal explained post-game:
“I tell these guys, I’m into my 18th year, I’m not playing for any money. I’m playing for a championship.
If we’ve got an opportunity we’ve got to take full advantage of that, because we are built for it. We have the crowd, we have the support from our coach and the staff and our ownership. That’s the perfect combination, so now it’s up to us.”
Warriors fans have always relished finding their favorites amongst a poor crop of talent. Now, with the Warriors as talented as ever, Jermaine O’Neal, like Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry last season, has found his way into the hearts of Bay Area basketball fans.
He’s done it incredibly quickly, and without a plethora of big games on the court. Certainly, he’s had his share of good ones for a backup center. His 18 pts and 8 rebs at New Orleans were likely the difference with Andrew Bogut out of the lineup due to suspension.
He came back from any number of injuries to seal a road victory, but it was post-game that he might have made the biggest impact. Here’s what he told Jim Barnett in his post-game interview on November 26:
“Trials and tribulations are what build the character of a true championship team. It may not look good all the time, but we keep fighting. It doesn’t matter who’s on the court in a Warriors uniform, we always feel like we have enough.
I keep telling these guys do not let this moment pass us by. That’s the only regret I have in my career because I believed in Indiana that we would win it every year. And multiple reasons happened injuries, brawl, suspensions whatever it may be I never got a chance and here I am in my 18th year still trying to win that championship…I believe this year is going to be a special year for us.”
Tuesday, O’Neal said the Warriors should have given fans their money back for their first half (and then early third quarter) performance, calling the deficit ridiculous.
He knows if the Warriors want to be real contenders, they can’t fall behind by “damn near 30” points.
Mark Jackson, ever a believer in his players, said he gave the reigns to O’Neal because he remembers being a player himself:
“With my group it happens a lot. I’m a guy that fortunately played and I’m not insecure. And I know that the players have a lot invested in this basketball team. And I’m not a guy that claims to know it all, and you allow them a voice and they respond…
That’s what O’Neal has become. A voice to reign the Warriors in. A voice to center them. A voice that knows how many things can go wrong. And most importantly, a voice the team can look to for guidance.
Having been there before, O’Neal knows what it’s like to let chances slip. He won’t let that happen to this Warriors team:
“We’ve got work to do. Got work to do. We’re a work in progress.”
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