Shaquille O’Neal has made a second career out of saying things that garner attention, but Thursday he dropped a real ear-catcher.  Read more after the jump.

@Shay_Marie x @gametimegirl

Working as an analyst for TNT, Shaq said the Lakers asked him to skip games late one season so the team would lose and, in this particular case, avoid a first-round matchup against Utah.

The idea seems a little far-fetched since we’re talking about the multiple-champion Lakers fearing a Jazz franchise that has never won a title. Utah did sweep the Lakers in the 1998 Western Conference finals. Since then, the Lakers are 12-3 in the postseason against the Jazz.

As ridiculous as the idea sounds, though, we have no doubt that teams throughout all sports have tanked games for the purposes of playoff or draft position. You’d have to be naive to think it never happens.

We also aren’t brainwashed enough to think that the Lakers — just because they’re the proud, purple-wearing Lakers — never would do such a thing. Somewhere along the way, folks, it almost certainly has happened.

But we’re thinking Shaq might have been going for a little shock effect here, a little look-what-I-just-said attention. The guy always has known how to work a crowd.

Besides, do you really think Shaq would have willingly passed up the chance to dunk just one more time on Greg Ostertag?

OCRegister