Fuerza Regia, a Mexican basketball league team, is interested in having Shaq over for two games to increase publicity of the club ....
It is not easy for many basketball players to say goodbye to the sport that they have been playing since their childhood. It is the only thing they know, the only thing they feel they are truly good and, and most of their experiences
in life are in some way attached to the sport.
It is for this reason that we see players competing well beyond their prime, while many others move on to take coaching or front office positions with the teams. Many also opt for analyst positions on news channels that cover the
NBA.
Shaquille O’Neal seems to be in that category of players as well.
After an illustrious and extensive career in the NBA that saw him winning 4 NBA championships and dominating his position for years, Shaq took a job as an analyst on TNT. However, that was apparently not enough to fill the appetite
of the All Star centre, who has now taken a decision to play a couple of games in the Mexican Basketball League.
Sergio Ganem, the President of the Mexican team Fuerza Regia, has said that Shaq will play one or two games for his team in October, although negotiations are still ongoing and no deal is in place at the moment. If he decides to
do so, Shaq will not be the first NBA player to play in the Mexican league, as Dennis Rodman made a few appearances in the league back in 2004 for the same team.
For the Mexican league, it is all about publicity, marketing and reaching a wider fan base in a country where basketball is not the favourite sport and viewership is limited. Shaq could help widen the fan base for the game in Mexico
and bring some much needed attention to the team as well as the league in general. And he could make some good money for a few appearances as well.
The game of basketball has become famous all over the world now, and American players are in much demand due to the fact that NBA is the most watched and followed basketball league on the planet, and the stars in this league are
the stars the world over.
We have witnessed many NBA players playing basketball in China and Europe after finishing their careers in the NBA, and Shaq could become the latest in the list, even if it is only for two games.
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