Shaq's mom: He could be back

By Jessica Camerato
CSNNE.com

Shaquille ONeal has yet to announce his plans for next season, and while some would be surprised to see him return to the court for the Boston Celtics, his mother would not be.

Even though ONeal has not expressed a decision to her, Lucille ONeal believes her son could play again.

He went there to help them win a championship and they didnt do that this year, she told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Wednesday at an induction ceremony for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Americas Alumni Hall of Fame. It bothered him so much that he could not play. He felt like he let the Boston team down and the community down, so I could believe hes going back to Boston. Hes not in a place to be traded or anything like that.

Last week Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge told CSNNE he believed ONeal would retire.

"I think so," Ainge said upon being asked if he thought ONeal had played his last NBA game. "It's early to make those emotional decisions, but my guess is he has.

After battling a series of injuries, ONeal appeared in 37 regular season games (9.2 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game) and played just 12 minutes over two postseason games (1.0 ppg, 0 rpg) for the Celtics.