Shaquille O’Neal revealed that David Stern asked him if he preferred “hot or cold” cities months before the 1992 NBA Draft, suggesting a possible draft lottery fix. Shaq’s comments have reignited debate around long-running NBA lottery conspiracy theories.
Shaquille O’Neal has tossed more fuel on the fire of long-standing NBA Draft Lottery conspiracies — and this time, the story involves former commissioner David Stern and a curious conversation that took place months before the 1992 NBA Draft.
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Position: C
Age: 53
Height: 216 cm
Weight: 147 kg
Birth place: United States of America
Speaking on Ashley Nevel’s podcast, O’Neal recalled an eyebrow-raising interaction he had with Stern three months before he was selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic.
“He says to me, ‘Hey, can’t wait for you to come to the NBA,’” Shaq said. “Then he pulled me to the side. ‘You want to play where it’s cold or where it’s hot?’ I said, ‘Hot.’ And he smiled. And I smiled.”
Sure enough, O’Neal landed in sun-soaked Orlando, while Charlotte and Minnesota settled for picks No. 2 and 3. At the time, he thought little of it. But looking back, Shaq admits he’s started to question things.
“You hear a lot of these conspiracy theories... and there’s a lot of situations that could make these things sound good and sound true.”
He pointed to the Dallas Mavericks winning the 2025 lottery just months after the team faced fan backlash for trading Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
“It’s very interesting how it all played out,” Shaq noted with a raised eyebrow.
As for Stern’s intentions in 1992, we’ll never know. The longtime commissioner passed away in 2020.
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