Shaq says an NBA team should move to his Vegas neighborhood

Shaquille O’Neal is a bully neighbour successful Las Vegas. Take if from a dignitary who has lived successful Vegas a while.

“Shaquille conscionable a good, loyal neighbor. When helium moves in, helium truly does attraction astir the families,” Elaine Wynn said during a telephone chat Tuesday morning. “His attraction for children is genuine. It’s not frivolous.”

Wynn’s comments astir Shaq are not random. The Las Vegas hospitality icon is connected the committee of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, which focuses its efforts connected younker initiatives.

The Foundation announced this week its archetypal Las Vegas event, dubbed “The Event,” acceptable for Oct. 2 astatine MGM Grand Garden. Justin Bieber, Imagine Dragons, Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson are the archetypal announced headliners.

There volition beryllium others, too, arsenic Shaq himself plans to instrumentality the signifier with Snoop Dogg for rap helium promises volition beryllium “PG-13.”

O’Neal has held a part-time residence successful Las Vegas for 20 years, wherever helium has respective concern interests. He lives successful Atlanta during the NBA season. As an expert connected TNT, a four-time NBA champ and subordinate of the Professional Basketball Hall of Famer, O’Neal is an adept connected pro hoops.

And Shaq says Vegas is built for an NBA team.

“Las Vegas has grown a lot, and determination is simply a batch of privation for an NBA team,” O’Neal said during a chat astatine his charity’s Summerlin offices. “I don’t privation to spell connected the grounds excessively far, but I’m leaning toward astir definitely.”

Shaq said the city’s infrastructure and enactment strategy for an NBA franchise are already successful place.

“Vegas tin decidedly prolong an NBA team,” helium said. “We decidedly person the fans, decidedly person a supporting cast, and decidedly person the sponsorship money. Hopefully it happens wrong the adjacent 5 years.”

Earlier Tuesday, Wynn Las Vegas announced O’Neal arsenic a marque ambassador and advisor for its WynnBet wagering app.

Shaq’s archetypal portion of proposal successful this caller role?

“Whatever betting level Charles Barkley uses, get distant from that,” O’Neal said.

Aside from his entrepreneurial activities and headlining presumption arsenic DJ Diesel astatine the Wynn, O’Neal has developed a regular during his clip successful Vegas.

“I speech to the excavation guy, the furniture guy,” the 7-foot-1 erstwhile halfway said. “I bash regular-person stuff. I spell to the furnishings store.”

The “regular-person stuff” includes giving back.

“It’s ever a indispensable to instrumentality attraction of your community, particularly the children,” O’Neal said. “It’s conscionable the close happening to do.”

Shaq’s influential Vegas foundation partners see Andrew Pascal, the erstwhile Wynn Las Vegas president and main operating serviceman and existent CEO of PlayStudios CEO. Pascal met O’Neal formally done Shaq’s concern and foundation spouse Perry Rogers.

“He’s conscionable a truly decent guy,” Pascal said. “The representation radical person of him, of being caring, fun-loving and wanting to beforehand and dispersed joy, that’s truly who helium is.”

Pascal says Shaq’s large vision, and wide expansive presence, is simply a bully lucifer for Vegas.

“Everything present is super-sized,” Pascal said. “It’s wholly fitting to person Shaq beryllium here, and beryllium portion of the community.”

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.