Jermaine O’Neal has played 18 seasons in the NBA. The 36-year-old was drafted out of high school by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996, was a 6-time consecutive All-Star for the Indiana Pacers from 2001/2002-2006/2007, and most recently played with the Golden State Warriors last season where he averaged 7.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. There has been recent speculation that he is considering a return to the NBA, and the veteran took to Twitter to speak about it.
So I know it’s been some talk about if I will play again or not and if so then what team will I choose. So I thought I would speak on this.
— Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
For 18 long years sports has dominated my families life to a point that they have had to sacrifice things that was important to them. — Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
So you can believe now whatever decision I make will be a pure family decision that my family will have a huge part on making with me.
— Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
Do I still love the game of basketball? Yes without a doubt! — Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
Can I physically still play?Probably better than 60% of the bigs in the league today! That’s not a knock on anyone but more about how I feel
— Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
My decision will not be based off any personal relationships with a cityor organization which will be tuff because Ofthe love I got for them — Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to play for some great coaches, organizations, and cites and I will always have love for them! — Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
But I love my family more than I love life itself and they will have the final say on my playing career or the closing of my bball career!
— Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
I will say this, if the decision is to play I promise you that when I hit the court I will be ready physically and mentally to help a team! — Jermaine O’Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014
Once a star in the league, O’Neal has been a role-player in the NBA for the past 4 seasons. While the layman’s basketball fan may think his “better than 60% of the bigs in the league” is laughable, O’Neal’s per 36 minutes average last season of 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game show just how valuable he can still be to a team. After 18 years in the NBA, he’s definitely put a lot of mileage on his body, but I think the opportunity to chase a title with a team like the Dallas Mavericks may be too good to pass up for O’Neal.
If Jermaine O’Neal decides to play for a 19th season, Total Sports Blog wishes him the best of luck.
