Shaquille O'Neal believes NBA should just cancel the season

The NBA legend thinks that the safety of the players and staff is more important than crowning a champion.

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal believes that the 2019-2020 NBA season should just be cancelled, and the league should prepare for the next season instead.

According to CBS Sports, O'Neal has this to say about the current NBA season that has been suspended since March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic:

"I think we should scrap the season. Everybody go home, get healthy, come back next year. Just scrap the season. Just scrap it. To try and come back now and do a rush playoffs as a player? Any team that wins this year, there's an asterisk. They're not going to get the respect. What if a team that's not really in the mix of things all of a sudden wins with a new playoff format? Nobody is going to respect that. So, scrap it."

O'Neal touches two points. First, the NBA champions for the 2019-2020 season, whoever they will be, especially if they are an underdog team like the current champions, the Toronto Raptors, will not get the respect that they deserve. People are going to say, the only reason this team won is because of the new format.

The second point he raised is connected to the reason behind all the problems in the first place, the novel coronavirus. The NBA organisation as a whole, should concentrate on staying safe and getting healthy. "Worry about the safety of the fans and the people. Come back next year.
Look, I understand how players are feeling. I really do. But any team that gets it done this year, there's going to be an asterisk on that championship," he said.

However, O'Neal is already retired. He has already left a legacy and made his money. He has 4 championship rings, unlike current MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who's looking at a real chance for a first championship this season. It's easy to talk about losing lifetime opportunities and revenues when you're not invested in it.

The conversation continued about going through all the trouble to create a safe bubble, maintaining it but still risking the health of people, especially older coaches and staff. Even if by some miracle, the containment scheme does not encounter any problems and a team does win a championship, how would they feel after winning in an empty arena?