"I can't wait to see you Aussies Down Under" - Shaquille O'Neal excited ahead of his first trip to Australia in 20 years, promises fans will hear his tips for business success

Shaquille O'Neal is visiting Australia for a speaking tour, and fans in the continent "down under" are excited to hear the LA Lakers legend. He is visiting the country for the first time in over 20 years, and he has promised fans they will get tips from him about success and entrepreneurship.

As reported by A. James of Daily Mail Australia, the Lakers legend spoke ahead of his visit.

"I can't wait to see you Aussies Down Under."

The event is called "La Trobe Financial Presents: An Evening with Shaquille O'Neal," and there are two confirmed tour dates so far. The first event is on Aug. 25 at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne and the next one is on Aug. 26 at the Star Events Centre in Sydney.

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A. James of Daily Mail Australia reported on O'Neal's speaking tour, writing:

“The 50 year-old former NBA champ and entrepreneur, who is estimated to be worth US $400 million, says he plans to offer business tips on success and talk about his life and career."

Shaquille O'Neal gives a bold take on the LA Lakers

Shaquille O'Neal bats during the All-Star and Legends Celebrity Softball Game in 2018

Shaquille O'Neal believes if the LA Lakers make the play-in tournament, they will advance to the playoffs and then beat the first-seeded Phoenix Suns. He believes they will have an urgency to win and that Anthony Davis will have returned by then, making them significantly stronger.

"If they (make the play-in game), they definitely have to win and they will face Phoenix in the first round. And then, if they make it to the eighth spot, they will beat Phoenix ... 'cause AD gonna be back."

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O'Neal believes Davis can make the difference between a ninth-place team that is 31-42 and a 60-win team. The Lakers went 17-20 even with Davis on the floor, and his numbers were nowhere near his past All-Star self. He was shooting career-lows from all over the field and his presence had very little impact on winning.

One area Davis would certainly improve is defense, but the Lakers aren't a top 10 defensive team that is looking for that missing piece. In fact, they are 21st in the league in that category, and the addition of one player isn't going to make a difference.

The Lakers are a half-game ahead of the 10th-place New Orleans Pelicans (31-43). They face each other twice in the coming week, including a game Sunday night in New Orleans. The winner of this mini-series will go a long way towards determining the setup for the play-in tournament.

But the 11th-seeded San Antonio Spurs (30-44) are just one game behind the 10th spot, and the Lakers have the league's second-toughest remaining schedule. If they don't manage to win the majority of the upcoming games, they might find themselves out of the play-in as well.

Thus, O'Neal's take is extremely bold, and his prediction is likely to fail. But it would certainly be fun to watch LeBron James in a seven-game series alongside Davis again.