With the Super Bowl fast approaching, predictions are cropping up from everywhere. Amid this Pat Riley just added a whole new twist. As per him, if the Kansas City Chiefs win, they can officially use his trademarked phrase “Three-Peat.” That should be a confidence boost, right? Well, not so fast. According to Shaquille O’Neal, this so-called blessing could actually backfire on Kansas City in a big way.
During a recent episode of The Big Podcast, Shaq made his stance crystal clear when asked about his Super Bowl pick. “I have a confident answer… the Philadelphia Eagles,” he declared. But just how confident? “Saquon Barkley is on a mission. Jalen Hurts, my fraternity brother, is on a mission. The Philadelphia Eagles are on a mission.”
But why does Riley’s “Three-Peat” talk spell trouble for the Chiefs? Shaq thinks it’s premature and borderline disrespectful. “But you’re already telling them, ‘Oh, you can use the three-peat. You can get the shirts ready and you can do this. You can do that,’” he pointed out. And that, in his eyes, is a mistake. “You don’t disrespect people from Philly, from New York, from New Jersey, from Florida.”
And Shaq didn’t stop there. He doubled down on what this means for Philly’s mindset. “The Philadelphia team, I know for a fact they feel disrespected,” he said. “Saquon Barkley felt disrespected in Jersey. They just threw him away. And look at him now. Guys like him, they’ve been waiting for this moment their whole life. And he ain’t gonna let nothing get in his way.”
Interestingly, while Shaq is all in on Barkley now, he wasn’t exactly his pick for MVP earlier this year. Back in January, Shaquille O’Neal had his money on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. “Every time he steps on the field, and he’s playing well, he’s definitely considered the best,” Shaq told RG in an exclusive interview. “If he’s in the conversation, he has a chance to win.”
Yes, that means Shaq snubbed the biggest MVP contenders—Josh Allen, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson (who, by the way, got Eli Manning’s vote), and even Saquon Barkley, the very guy he now believes could be the key to Philly’s Super Bowl glory.
What is Riley’s “Three-Peat” that Shaq feels has this much power?
If Kansas City takes down Philadelphia on Sunday, it won’t just be another Super Bowl win—it’ll cement Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in GOAT territory. And just in time for the big game, the NFL made a move, striking a deal with Pat Riley to use the term “Three-Peat” if the Chiefs pull it off. Why Riley? Because the legendary NBA executive has owned the rights to that phrase since the 1980s.
The story goes back to Riley’s days as head coach of the Lakers. After leading L.A. to back-to-back championships in 1987 and 1988, he filed a trademark for “Three-Peat,” hoping to inspire confidence that his team could make it three in a row. But things didn’t go as planned for the Lakers. Instead of a three-peat, they got swept by the Pistons in the 1989 Finals.
Still, Riley’s trademark didn’t go to waste. When Michael Jordan’s Bulls pulled off their first three-peat in 1991-93, Riley reportedly cashed in around $300,000. When the Bulls did it again in 1996-98, his earnings reportedly doubled to $600,000.
Exactly how much Riley has made from “Three-Peat” remains unclear, but he claims most of it has gone to charity. But, now, all eyes are on the Super Bowl—will Shaquille O’Neal’s prediction hold up, or will Riley’s phrase make history once again?
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