Hour 3:  Shaquille O’Neal, Oscar-Winner Morgan Freeman, plus NFL Week 9’s Top 5 Games

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0:58Rich Eisen:Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney +, from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow, and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. You want to see something really scary? Nobody around in the end zone. He didn't run the route. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Earlier on the show, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. Colts tight end Tyler Warren.

1:44Coming up, basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O 'Neal. Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

1:58Rich Eisen:Here on the Rich Eisen Show on Disney +, the ESPN app and ESPN radio all together. ESPN radio presented by Progressive Insurance. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. I'm going to leave you on this show at the end of the hour of the other five games that I'm looking forward to seeing for the rest of a ninth week of the NFL campaign that began last night with the Ravens taking care of the Dolphins. Listen, we love doing this show every day, all three hours, hours like hour one, where there was breaking news about the Dolphins and Tom Pellicero was on an hour two. We got to meet Tyler Warren, the terrific rookie tight end of the Indianapolis Colts, and then chat with you.

2:33Rich Eisen:But then there are certain hours that stand out that you look forward to all week. Joining us in 20 minutes time is Oscar winner Morgan Freeman in support of the third version iteration of Now You See Me, Now You Don't. So Morgan Freeman's going to join us, but not before we have a nice chat with Hall of Famer Shaquille O 'Neal back here on the program. This is what we call outstanding guest work. Good to see you, Shaq. How are you, sir? Good to see you. Tell the young lady who did the promo that she didn't announce me properly. And that is how should you be? Should I get a pen to take this down?

3:06No, it's only one word. Legend. Legend. Shaquille O 'Neal.

3:13Rich Eisen:Let me make up for it again. If you don't mind, Don Bowie, take my single, if you don't mind, so I can do this. Ladies and gentlemen, back on The Rich Eisen Show, legend Shaquille O 'Neal. Oh, hey, Rich. Hey, man. How are you? What's going on? What's up, brother? Good to see you. Oh, by the way, did you see at the bottom of your screen right there? We've Chironed you properly now. It just says legend underneath you right there. Thank you. You're welcome. Hey, we take requests. It's basically what I say. I know you do, brother. Good to see you. It's really great to see you and inside the NBA on ESPN.

3:50Rich Eisen:Obviously, we're biased because we are two with Disney Plus and the ESPN app. But it's great. It's the show. I'm seeing the show. It feels like it's the same exact show that I've come to know and love and we all have. How does it feel to you sitting on the set there? It feels the same. Same people in the building, the camera people, the runners. production people tk fiorello and it was nice that we can keep the guys together you know that was that was my whole thing it would have been weird uh working away not not not from chuck and kenny but but from ernie you know you and ernie have a special place in my heart you guys are always so professional nice to everyone and always fair you know that that's what i've always loved about you You may have your opinions, but you're always fair.

4:46You're never derogatory. You never show favorites, and that's why I have a tremendous amount of respect for you. That's why any time you want me to be on your show, I will always be on your show. You know I love you. You know I love your wife. So, you know, I was more concerned about being separated from the great Ernie Johnson.

5:04Rich Eisen:Well, first of all, I'm honored that you would consider me in the same sentence as Ernie, who's as outstanding as they come and one of the greatest human beings on planet Earth. But it just felt like, again, comfort food, you know, for me to sit down and watch inside the NBA, certainly when, you know, the show was in peril. I just didn't know what was going to happen. And it's just the same show. It's the same thing. But as good as ever on top of it. You know what I mean? Well, thank you. I think the ESPN executives did a great job when they came and met with us. They said, we're not going to bother you.

5:38and I said, what about when Chuck talks about San Antonio women? He's like, well, we'll deal with that when it happens, but we're not going to bother you. We're not going to micromanage you guys and it's pretty much going to be the same show. So, you know, shout out to Craig Berry and all the guys at TNT that fought for, you know, keeping it the same. I'm looking at all the other shows. They're not even close.

6:04Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, two things. They're not even close. Okay. You can't say it, but I can. Well, you have every reason to crow about it. I mean, the Emmys are on the shelf, that's for sure. And, again, the only thing that was different is you seem to have a little bit more hitch in your giddy-up. We saw a side of you in the opening show as you were trying to get up to the board that we just saw all of you. Shaq, are you feeling all right? Is your hip okay? Are we good? What do you got? I'm good. I'm good. You know, just getting older. I'm good, brother. Just want to make sure it's all good there. I am good.

6:41Rich Eisen:Okay, good. And plus, you know, in terms of Chuck talking about San Antonio, all he can talk about is they're 5-0 for the first time. I couldn't believe that stat when I heard that. I thought that they had to have been 5-0 under the Admiral or Duncan or any of the pop teams, but they're 5-0 for the first time right now. Listen, they're playing great. Wimby is redefining what a big man can do. You know, Joker has already redefined what Big Mankin did, but Wimby's taking it to a different level, dribbling between his legs, stepping back, looking like Kevin Durant. He's playing some excellent basketball right now, and I'm happy for him.

7:16I'm happy for the San Antonio organization.

7:18Rich Eisen:What would your counsel to him be about a full 82 season, and what would you tell him about that? I would tell him to pace himself. You know, Phil Jackson, and I don't know how he did it, but the three years we won in a row, he would come in at times and be like, hey, sit these two games out. I need you to rest. No parties, no rap videos, no commercials, just rest. But when you come back, I need you to average 40. So, you know, Phil did a great job of, you know, managing, you know, my game time, my injury time. And he also did a great job of keeping us away from Utah. I don't know how he did it.

7:59You know, we always have problems with Utah earlier before he got there. But notice we never played. Like, he'd rather play Sacramento or San Antonio. So he would come in there and tell him and be like, hey, I need you to sit a week out. Hey, I need you to have 40 this week or don't practice this week. So, you know, he just has to, you know, like if he gets, you know, like a little freak injury and, you know, he needs to take a week or two off and they lose one or two games, that's fine. because if they can have some type of home court advantage, that's fine. Like, it's no use in trying to go 72 and 9, and, you know, you're playing through knick-knack injuries because you want to be as fresh as possible going into the postseason.

8:42Rich Eisen:Now, that said, and again, we talked about inside the NBA and its greatness. There are other partners that cover the NBA, and in that regard, NBC has Michael as part of their pregame. I don't know if you heard what he had to say about load management when he was talking to Mike Tirico earlier this week saying, I didn't need load management. I don't want load management. I want to play every single game. What's your two cents on that subject matter, Shaquille? I mean, I wanted to play every single game also, but a lot of times I had like knick-knack injuries, and I was better served to the organization playing at a super high level.

9:18A lot of times when you get these knick-knack injuries, it just kind of like slow you down a little bit, And me being slowed down, like me being a regular Shaq, was not good for anybody. But listen, you can never dispute what the greatest player of all time says. You know, he wanted to play, and he did play a lot of those games, and his formula worked for him. But when I can get, like, two games rest and, you know, take my anti-inflammatories and then come back, like every time I came back off an injury, I was super fresh.

9:50Rich Eisen:Shaquille O 'Neal here on the Rich Eisen Show. Okay, so before we get to also the matter at hand, you're here as a partnership with Lilly, and we'll explain about what you're doing with this health organization. The best team in the NBA, do you think, is who right now? And will they be the best team in the NBA at the end of the season? Shaquille O 'Neal. Best team in the NBA. I still got to go with OKC. You know, they're the champs, and they're going to continue to be the champs until somebody knocks them off. But Spurs are playing well. Denver's playing well. You know, a lot of teams are playing.

10:30Philadelphia's playing well. But, you know, we always – you know, you've been a fan for a long time. You always see these teams, they start off hot. You know, I can make a better judgment call towards the All-Star game.

10:42Rich Eisen:Okay. But in terms of – what do you think of Golden State, how they're put together this year? What do you think? I love how they're playing. I trust that five in the playoffs more than I trust any other five. Is that so? Yeah. Steph, Jimmy, Draymond, old man Al Horford. That experience alone will be very important. And then you got a young guy like Kaminga who's mixing it up very well. So, you know, when it comes to the postseason and, you know, having experience and, you know, slowing the game down and always making the right critical decision. I like that lineup a lot. And which lineup would you say the same thing about in the East?

11:27Rich Eisen:Which one would you say there? Nobody yet. Nobody yet. I'm still, I'm still like looking at the teams and, you know, studying the teams. I don't have, I don't have that much confidence in a lot of the teams yet. What is your expectation level, Shaquille, of LeBron's season? And what are you expecting from here on out? I mean, you know, he's expecting a Cinderella season and, you know, at least another trip to the finals. You know, they're a little bit discombobulated right now. Austin Reeves is playing out of his mind. But I know when he comes back, he goes right back to the regular Austin Reeves.

12:08So we'll see how that plays out. But, you know, hopefully he gets back. I would love to see him and Luca 30 40 45 games in a row so we can really see what that looks like

12:20Rich Eisen:Okay, and do you think that winds up championship quality or they'll have to make a move at some point again? I know it's early, but I'm getting you here first two weeks of the season What do you think? I mean it'll definitely get them a one through eight position and then you know once you get in the playoffs if anything can happen. Okay. Let's talk about what you're doing with Lilly, Shaquille O 'Neal. The campaign is called Don't Sleep on, is it OSA or OSA? What are we calling it here? OSA. First, I have to disclose that I am a Lilly spokesperson. Okay. And OSA stands for obstructive sleep apnea.

12:59You know, there's a lot of people in the world that are adults, especially ones living with obesity, that have OSA. So obstructive sleep apnea, you wake up in the middle of the night, you're gasping for air. Sometimes you're choking, you're tired during the day. I was diagnosed with moderate to severe OSA in 2011. I was a guy that, well, I'm still a guy that says, you know, I'm superhuman. and kind of gave me a treatment plan, and I didn't follow it, but now I'm following up with my doctor. And I just want people to go get checked out. I'm not a doctor, but if you're having those certain symptoms at night, you just need to go talk to your doctor and come up with a plan that's very, very comfortable for you.

13:53Rich Eisen:If I'm not mistaken, this is what took Reggie Watt from us way too soon, that he had this, and he's no longer with us right now. And I'll be straight up with you too, Shaq. I was diagnosed with it as well. I have a mouth guard. I use a mouth guard to try and help me sleep at night. Also, I think Susie was going to kick me out of the house if I kept snoring like I did, Shaq. You're right. I had to take measures, you know? Yeah. You know, again, I encourage people to consult with their doctors and address questions and determine the path. You know, that's right for them. Okay. Shaq, I'm going to hand things off to my Philadelphia 76er colleague over here.

14:39Rich Eisen:What a fan of a colleague. Who are you dressed as right now? Right now? The Ds will know. This is Jackson Heights' own Mr. Randy Watson in the house, Shaq. Oh, hey. Hey, Mr. Randy Watson. Just make your son. Sexual chocolate. They play so fine, Shaq. Don't you agree? Yeah, yes it is, brother. Yes it is, brother. So, Diesel, I'd like to talk to you about, you know, you being the M.D., the most dominant ever. Right now, I'm a Sixer fan, and we have Joel Embiid, and he currently might be the most dominant big man, you know. Oh, stop it. Not Count Wendy and the Joker. But my question being, Shaq, the Sixers, 4-0, they're looking real good.

15:21it's obvious that the leaders of the team are now the guards, you know, with Maxie, the young VJ Edgecombe, even with Jared McClain when he comes back from injury. So is there any advice that you would give to Joel about, like, maybe taking a step back and letting the young Bulls do their things and maybe when there's a time for him to step up and kind of assert his dominance? I mean, that's going to be the – I mean, that's the big question at hand when he comes back, is he going to slow those guys down? You know, it is a way to do both. You know, I remember when Dominique Wilkins taught me seven points a quarter.

15:56So, you know, Joel will touch the ball and, you know, he will have the ball in his hands. But, you know, after you get your seven points and you got young guys like that, let them go crazy. You know, he can get, you know, Joel can get a lot of easy baskets if he go to the posts. If he rim runs and, you know, just stands in a lane and, you know, forces the referees to call three seconds. It is a way to do both. But a lot of times he holds the ball and pumps fake, and he left and he right, and he does all that. So he's going to have to make a decision. Do I hold the young boys back or do I join in on the party?

16:32Dominique told you what back in the day? Seven points. Average seven points a quarter. Because I don't know if you remember, Rich, when I first got to the Lakers, I was trying to score 50 and a half. And I would actually kind of tire myself out sometimes. So he said, brother, seven points a quarter. seven times four is 28. And then you get like, you know, offensive rebounds. You get a lot of drop-offs. You get lobs that'll bring you to the 30, 40 range rather than just getting the ball every time and try to score, score, score, score, score. Because I know when I would do that, I would, you know, Big Shot Bob and Rick Fox and, you know, guys like that would, you know, officially be cold.

17:11So whenever the double came, I just tried to, you know, keep my guys involved. But I definitely had to get my seven points first. Did you pick his brain or did he just volunteer that information to you that one time? He volunteered. He volunteered. You know, Dominique, Isaiah, guys like that were like, you know, mentors to me. I remember when Isaiah put me to the side one day and he said, hey, man, you know you're going to be the face of the league. You're going to have to, you know, straighten up. And I was like, yes, sir. Okay. Wow.

17:41Rich Eisen:And also, you're a producer on the new Allen Iverson doc, huh? I saw you in the credits there on Prime Video. I am. I've gotten to know him very, very well over the past couple years, especially since retirement. And we live in a world now where people can kind of dictate your story. And I just got kind of tired of all the narratives, all the negative narratives about him. So pulling to the side one day and say, hey, man, I would like to produce a documentary on you and tell your side of the story. Because he's very, very misunderstood. But he's the nicest guy, the most respectful guy. but he's also a tough-minded guy he's gonna do it his way and and I kind of you know feel this pain because I was gonna do it my way also and that's on prime video right now are you sure you didn't do that because you're both Cowboys fans and you got to rally together right now Shaquille are you sure about that I'm always be a fan of the Super Bowl champion Cowboys did you see that cowboy doc that was amazing that was great I did see that I did see that did you see what I just did I just check the box because now now i can now i can get the paycheck from espn because we just talk cowboys you know what i mean i just checked that box here right how are they doing this year

18:58Rich Eisen:looking at them in the standings offensively they are great diesel three four and one they're three four and one we'll see what happens oh yeah oh that's excellent 34 and one

19:11Rich Eisen:man we are so good this year 34 and 1 boy if you just remove one dash it's amazing what it can do to a record you know what i mean yes it's amazing what can be done uh shack man great to see you love you love having you on wait wait wait go rich i i know you're respectful but go ahead and ask me what am i asking you what am i asking what am i asking about the devastating news the NBA that broke. Go ahead and ask me. You can't. What's the devastating news about what... No. No, it's okay. No, go ahead. Shaq has something to say. I give you the floor. You're talking about what came out with the gambling and all that sort of business or no?

19:52Rich Eisen:Yes. You can ask me. Okay. What do you want me to ask? Go for it. I don't know what to even ask you. Have you seen it? What's your opinion on it? I saw what you were talking about. I mean, my opinion is that, well, first let me go on record and say that the NBA does a great job of trying to safeguard us from all these things. I know twice a year they come in and they cancel practice and they talk about drugs, they talk about gambling, they talk about family, and they kind of give us the letter of the law, especially with gambling. They tell us things like, hey, man, don't be telling your boys or your relatives is I'm not playing today or don't be giving your boys information about who's doing what and who's doing what.

20:37So being involved in something like that I think is very embarrassing to the league, it's very embarrassing to the person, it's very embarrassing to the families. Why would you put your mother's house at risk? It doesn't make sense mathematically. You're making a lot of money a year so much like and like I don't even understand the parlay is all that but how much can you make and a parlay so you know the fact that these names are being being brought up I just feel sorry for them and their families and their

21:12Rich Eisen:children Shaquille O 'Neal I appreciate the time I think I'm gonna see you in a couple weeks because you have committed to be Susie's last guest at the the school the school the USC Annenberg School and Marshall School yes class that she is teaching on branding and sports business. And I will see you there. Professor O 'Neill is in the house. Professor O 'Neill, yes. Professor Schuster and Professor O 'Neill will be holding court that day. And I look forward to seeing you. Thanks again, Shaq. You're the best. That's Shaquille O 'Neill, everybody, right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Let's take a break because Morgan Freeman is waiting.

21:45Rich Eisen:I've never said that, saying goodbye to Shaq and saying Morgan Freeman is waiting. That's next. The Rich Eisen Show podcast.

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