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“I won’t even be watching” – Shaquille O’Neal Doesn’t Give a Rip About Who Wins the 2025 NBA Finals

Gulshan Sharma

Last updated: June 11, 2025

3 min read

The NBA legend will enjoy the vacation in Bahamas instead.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The former NBA superstar and NBA analyst, Shaquille O’Neal is showing no interest in watching the 2025 NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City and Indiana Pacers are battling out for the 2025 NBA Championship. The Thunder secured the crucial victory in Game 2 to level the series. The ongoing NBA Finals are already making headlines for no hype.

Shaquille O’Neal declared he will not be watching the remainder of the 2025 NBA Finals. Instead, the NBA Hall of Famer will enjoy the break in Bahamas. However, Shaq claimed that we now have a series after both teams won their first games. Indiana Pacers held nerves to clinch a narrow victory in Game 1 and the Thunder pulled it back to take the Game 2 with ease.

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Shaquille O’Neal To Skip Remainder of the 2025 NBA Finals

Shaquille O’Neal who has covered almost each and every game this season and was also seen in the first two games of the NBA Finals, will skip the ongoing series. The NBA legend will enjoy the vacation in Bahamas, an island country which is famous for vibrant culture, turquoise waters, and white sands.

“Indiana stole one. I’m just glad it’s not the old format, that 2-3-2. Remember that format? That 2-3-2? So now we have a series,” O’Neal speaks during an appearance on NBA TV.

“I won’t even be watching,” Shaq added. “I’m gonna be in the Bahamas.”

"Now we have a series. I won’t even be watching…I’m gonna be in the Bahamas." – Shaq reacts to OKC beating the Pacers in Game 2 pic.twitter.com/gVdbLlsXIE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2025

Shaq also cleared that he won’t even watch the game during his trip to Bahamas. He already suggested that the cup in his hands had a little juice in it. “This ain’t water,” he concluded, taking a sip and then shaking the ice in his cup.

Shaquille O’Neal will not cover the game beyond 1 and 2 and it was already planned. He will be replaced by Charles Barkley, his former NBA on TNT partner.

Apart from all these conversation, there is still a question on the hype of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t add a big margin in the viewership game. As per reports, Game 1 averaged a 4.7 rating and 8.91 million viewers on ABC, which is the least-watched Finals opener since Nielsen tracking began in 1988. If we compare this to previous NBA Finals, there is an 18% decline in ratings and a 19% drop in viewership.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers

NBA Finals

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Gulshan Sharma

Gulshan Sharma is a passionate writer with a love for storytelling. With a keen interest in Sports Journalism, he aim to craft engaging and thought-provoking content that resonates with readers.