NBA: Alex McKenney’s Leap of Faith That Landed Him to Star Physio

O’Neill, their prize asset, was sent to McKenney’s Clinic in Vancouver for an expert opinion.

Patience, it appears, was not O’Neill’s virtue.

“I got this call from the limo driver, from his security guys, ‘We’re coming,'” McKenney recalled. “I go, ‘Sorry, I won’t see you until 1.30’. They go, ‘We want to come now’.

“I said, ‘You’re going to have to sit and wait. I’ve got people here that I’m working with. I can’t just walk away’.”

They hung up. 1.30 came and went. O’Neal’s party was pivoted and flew back to Los Angeles.

The next day, LA Lakers orthopedic surgeon Steve Lombardo called McKenney to apologize and ask if he could see O’Neal the following week and if he would come to downtown Vancouver for a consultation.

The response was trivial. “No, Shaq will see me at my clinic. End of story.”

Turns out they felt it was worth the effort.

“Shaquille comes with bodyguards, friends, coaches, trainers — I was just inundated with people,” McKenney said.

“Big fella sat down. I think it could go either way, either way.”

The prescribed Core-X treatment program – based on ensuring alignment between the muscles in different parts of the body – was unconventional at the time.

But it worked wonders. O’Neal soon returned to the Lakers without surgery.

“He brought me back,” said a grateful O’Neill. “I died, and he brought me back.”

Just four days after the initial consultation, McKenney was flown to Los Angeles and offered a pitch to retain his exclusive use for the entire NBA season.

Accepting the job offer means a change of pace – but all-round access to one of the most famous and glamorous clubs in global sport.