Shaq downplays Knicks' title chances: 'They're nowhere close'

The Knicks swung for the fences this offseason, trading five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, giving OG Anunoby the most lucrative deal in franchise history and signing star guard Jalen Brunson and head coach Tom Thibodeau to contract extensions. 

The oddsmakers in Vegas were impressed by those moves, raising the Knicks to second on the list of teams (tied with the Nuggets) with the shortest odds of capturing the 2025 NBA title. 

New York also has momentum on its side. A year after its most successful season since 1999, the city is primed to take another step toward ending its 51-year drought for an NBA title. However, Shaquille O'Neal feels the Thibodeau-led team is "built on hype" and "nowhere close" to being a title contender.

"No," Shaq responded emphatically when asked about New York's title chances on "The Big Podcast" recently. "You know what it is? New York is a place that's built on hype, that controls the hype. They can hype everybody else up. They haven't won [expletive] but 'Oohh, New York.' So, young fella [Brunson] can play. I was wrong about him. He's impressive. But they're nowhere close to winning a championship. They're gonna win some games, but I'm more impressed with how many championships you won at the end of your career."

Many felt the Knicks would have reached the Eastern Conference Finals this past season if not for the injuries suffered by Julius Randle, Anunoby, Brunson and Mitchell Robinson. On the flip side, several analysts blamed Thibodeau for giving his players excessive minutes and running them to the ground.

Regardless of Shaq's views, one thing is certain: the eyes of the basketball world will be firmly locked on the Knicks in the 2024-2025 season. There hasn't been this degree of focus on a Knicks team since the days of Patrick Ewing in the 1990s and the Walt Frazier- and Willis Reed-led teams of the 1970s.