Jermaine O'Neal
Jermaine O'Neal
Jermaine Lee O'Nealis an American former professional basketball player. The 6 ft 11 in, 255 lbforward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft straight out of high school. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 17th overall pick, but O'Neal was unable to break into the first team in Portland and was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. In his eight seasons with the club, he was voted an NBA...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth13 October 1978
CityColumbia, SC
We are a terrible defensive team right now. We're not putting forth the maximum effort that we need to put forth, especially in our position. You'd think that we'd put forth that maximum effort to not only win the game, but to get a good rhythm to get into the playoffs.
I think if I had one year of college, I'd have done better with the mental part [of the NBA].
I wanted to prove people wrong who didn't think I could play at this level. I also wanted to take care of my family. It was a chance to play against the best players in the world. Mentally and physically I don't think I was ready, but I was ready to take on the challenge.
I think blocking a shot at a crucial point of the game is the most incredible feeling.
People base my dominance on scoring. I want to help the team control the paint, rebound and help the defense. We don't need me to score 20 points every night.
The team is really trying to focus in and guys are really going at each other in practice extremely hard, probably the hardest all year. That's good to see. When you bring that competitive nature to practice, you know you'll bring it to the game.
You gotta play every possession, ... Every possession counts. It's like the NBA playoffs.
I'm still very raw. It hurts my ability to make plays. I've got to find my rhythm. To get to our ultimate goal, I've got to pick up my play.
We sure have had enough bad luck for a year. I'm really, really concerned. I heard it pop. Hopefully, I won't need surgery.
I don't care about any distractions about any potential trades or anything else. Anybody who says it's distracting them has to be a better professional. This is the hand we have been dealt and we have to deal with it.
Rick Carlisle has to be Coach of the Year. If you have great players, it's easy to win. If you take away those players, it has to be the coach. Take away the top two or three players from any other team and ask me if they'd be in position to compete.
I was saying, 'You look at the All-NBA teams and a lot of those guys are from '96. When you look at that draft, it was unbelievable.
Me and the front office had a long talk about everything. The air needed to be cleared, and it was very constructive. We laid it all on the line. We have a better understanding about each other, and my future with the team.
I feel pretty good about his ability to make plays and shoot the ball,