Former NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal recently revealed that he came close to committing to Kentucky following the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship before head coach Rick Pitino gave him advice that changed his life.
Speaking on the Str8 to Da League podcast, O’Neal shared that Kentucky was his top choice coming out of high school and that Pitino had heavily recruited him, making multiple in-home visits with O’Neal and his family.
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“I was going to go to Kentucky. Shout out to Rick Pitino, man. Like he recruited me, and this was like the realest thing, man. My mother loved him, man. She loved him,” O’Neal said.
According to O’Neal, Pitino’s honesty ultimately convinced him to skip college and enter the NBA Draft.
“He was sitting in our living room, he came four times on visits, and he said, ‘Look, everything I know about you and your family, the struggles, the things you’re going through.’ He said, ‘We’re going to be good with you, or we’re going to be good without you. Would love to have you, but you should go pro.’ That was the realest thing, bro. When he said that, it made complete sense.”
O’Neal went on to become the No. 17 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and had an 18-year NBA career that included six All-Star selections, three All-NBA Team honors, and averages of 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds across more than 1,000 career games.
While Kentucky fans can only imagine what could have been, O’Neal’s comments offered another example of Pitino’s reputation for putting players’ long-term interests ahead of recruiting victories.
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