24 December 2023 , 11:00
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Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal has revealed his unexpected affection for English football team Northampton Town.
Since retiring from basketball in 2011, the former Los Angeles Lakers star has tried his hand at various ventures. One of these was a radio station named Shaq Fu in 2016, which was part of Cobblers owner Kelvin Thomas' broadcasting business in America.
Back then, Northampton was on the brink of moving up to England's third-tier football league, League One. As they neared this achievement, O'Neal sent them a video message cheering them on for the rest of the season. "First place is where I like to be and it's great to see you guys at the top," the former NBA MVP said.
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"I know what it takes to win championships so make sure you finish strong and do NOT give up that intensity." The Northampton players certainly heeded that advice, as they ended the season in first place with 99 points, 13 ahead of second-place Oxford United.
Just like in 2016, Northampton is competing in the current football season in League One after being promoted from League Two. They are presently 12th in the table and drew their latest match against Carlisle, 2-2. Other NBA stars have connections with football teams, such as 19-time All-Star LeBron James.
The four-time NBA champion has plans to run his own basketball team in Las Vegas. This was confirmed by Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners, at the Sports Business Journal Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in December.
Shaquille O'Neal professed his love for Northampton Town (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)He said: "We're looking at bringing an NBA expansion team here in partnership with LeBron and Fenway Sports Group,. "The price talk today on an NBA expansion team is is $5.5bn to $6bn. I'm not sure I can make that work." He also suggested that a different type of capital might be needed for such a venture.
"Maybe we’re hitting that inflection point, and it may mean that, if we want to see a continued linear progression in these valuations, maybe it’s a different type of capital [that needs to come in]. Maybe I’m evolved out of existence, and maybe now I’m handing the baton over to a sovereign [wealth fund] or to a lower cost-of-capital provider. It could be that we've reached that point."
James will be happy with Liverpool's progress this season, despite the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Sunday. Despite the Reds registering just 34 shots compared to eight from ‘The Red Devils,’ they were unable to find the back of the net and were poor in the final third. They have dropped to second in the Premier League behind leaders Arsenal ahead of their crunch fixture at Anfield this Saturday.