Shaquille O'Neal jokingly gave several excuses for missing practice the day after winning MVP honors in the NBA All-Star game, but acknowledged he made a mistake.
"The cow truck flipped over yesterday," O'Neal said before the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
"There was milk all over the highway."
He said essentially the same thing about the chicken truck, the pig truck and the cereal truck.
Finally, he said when he left his house Monday to drive to the Lakers' first practice since the All-Star break, his vehicle was on bricks instead of tires.
"We'll keep whatever punishment he has to suffer to ourselves," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
"I messed up," O'Neal said. "I'll probably get disciplined real good. It's not a problem. I just couldn't make it yesterday. There'll probably be a fine. When you're wrong, you're wrong.
"I don't make excuses for the fish truck flipping over."
More seriously, O'Neal said he hopes Jackson remains his coach and fellow Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant remains his teammate after this season.
The Lakers announced last week that negotiations to extend the five-year, US$30 million contract Jackson signed in June 1999 had broken off and wouldn't be resumed until after the season.
The contract expires July 1 -- the same day Bryant will be eligible to opt out of his contract.
Although Bryant said he hadn't made a decision on his future, All-Star weekend was full of speculation he will be playing elsewhere next season.
"Hopefully at the end of the year, everything falls into place," O'Neal said. "Phil's my guy. I want Phil around."
Regarding Bryant, O'Neal said: "I respect him. I'm the first guy to tell you, I need him. To get over the next level, I need a guy like that to be with me. I know that -- I'm not afraid to say that."
O'Neal and Bryant have had several well-documented squabbles in their seven-plus seasons as teammates. O'Neal acknowledged the two sometimes have different agendas.
"It's never, ever, ever, ever been personal," O'Neal said. "If he wants to stay, he's going to stay. It's business. I know if he does leave, it won't be anything personal."
When bad feelings between the Lakers' stars resurfaced shortly before the start of this season, Bryant said if he left, at least part of the reason would be because of O'Neal.
Bryant told reporters last Friday he wanted to be a Laker for life, but added he still planned to opt out of his contract.
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