O'Neal talks about players getting big contracts now: being jealous but happy for them can inspire a lot of kids

Recently, O'Neill's guest show "The Rex Chapman Show" talked about how many players can now get big contracts.

O'Neill said: "I'm jealous, but I'm happy for them. I'm jealous because in the past only players like Jordan, players with super stats, could get that money. When I mentioned Gobert, everyone thought I was resentful, but it wasn't. He's a good big guy, but the big guys I used to play against were really good players, and when I was in high school, I felt like I couldn't compete with Ewing and David Robinson, who were so strong and didn't take that much money. One day my dad came back and told me to let me watch a game, I wasn't going to be disrespectful to Jon Cowanke, but he signed a 3-year, $15 million contract, and then I was confident. I know I'm not Robinson, but I think Cohenkeke averaged 9 or 10 points per game, so I can do it too. I can earn 5 million a year by averaging 10 points per game, so how much can I earn if I average 20 points per game? ”

"Then I went to college and I ran into Stanley Roberts and he blew me up, but I thought, 'Cohenkirk made $15 million, Stanley is better than me, then he can make $20 million, well, at least I can get a $12 million contract.'" Later, when I left college, people around me told me I had the potential to get a $50 million contract. At the time I didn't think it would be a joke, because I thought Larry Johnson and Derek Coleman were going to ask for a $30 million contract, so I was surprised when they said $50 million. ”

"Gobert is tall, plays hard, defends very well, he's defensive player of the year and his contract is $200 million. So, the big guys are looking at him now, because you can't be James, Kobe, O'Neal, Garnett, but a lot of big men can do what Gobert did. Once I say these things, people will think I'm jealous of him. Yes, I would say I'm jealous, but for the game it inspires a lot of kids. ”

(Pig of 95)