Who Would Shaq Fight in MMA if He had to Pick from Other NBA Stars?

Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O’Neal has long been a fan of the UFC and trained in mixed martial arts to supplement his athleticism on the courts of the NBA.

“So, I started training MMA style, I started winning (NBA) championships. For me, it wasn’t about being a fighter, it was just about doing some different training,” Shaq told the crew on HDNet’s InsideMMA on Friday night.

While he obviously correlates some of his success on the court to his mixed martial arts training, Shaq isn’t looking to make a post-NBA move into the cage. He is, however, interested in working with the UFC in business endeavors, according to UFC president Dana White.

“Shaq is one of my good friends, and he’s been very good to us and the sport of mixed martial arts,” White told reporters following UFC 133. “Shaq does want to get involved, but Shaq’s not fighting. Shaq wants to get involved in the business side of this thing. He’s a guy we have a lot of respect for, so we’ll see what happens.”

So we can’t expect to see Shaq in the cage, but we can play the “what if” game, and InsideMMA did just that, asking Shaq, if he could pick any five players, who from the NBA would he want to step in the cage with.

Check out the video clip below to see who Shaq picked…