Shaq, Wife Have a Baby Boy

Shaquille O’Neal’s wife, Shaunie, gave birth early Saturday morning to the couple’s third child together, a son named Shaqir Rashaun.

O’Neal did not attend Saturday’s practice or fly with the team in the afternoon to Minneapolis.

He was to join the team by late Saturday night via private jet.

Today’s game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m., Central Daylight Time.

There was concern that O’Neal might choose to miss a playoff game to attend the birth when doctors were unable to induce Shaunie’s labor earlier in the week, but Coach Phil Jackson seemed satisfied that O’Neal would arrive today focused and energetic.

Still, O’Neal’s personal life remained complicated because of the death of his grandfather, Sirlester O’Neal.

The funeral will be this week in Lake City, S.C., according to team officials, either Wednesday or Friday, and O’Neal said he would leave the club for it. Sirlester O’Neal, 69, died of natural causes on Thursday.

“He’s certainly got a lot in his personal life that has to be attended to,” Jackson said. “We’re really happy for the delivery of a child ... and that everyone’s safe and sound and can go forward from there. Hopefully he can get to Minneapolis rested and ready to play the first game. That’s a pivotal game for every team.”

Jackson said he spoke to O’Neal on Friday afternoon about a week that had the potential to drain him emotionally and physically, and said he thought O’Neal was “fired up” to get through it.

“We anticipate that players at a professional level like this understand how to get through these things and know their families are supporting them in this kind of endeavor,” Jackson said. “This is the career they’ve chosen and the livelihood that they make, and how important it is for them to succeed, along with their team.

“This is the focal point of every team’s defense, how to contain Shaq. We’ve never even thought about the alternative.”

Rick Fox said O’Neal had seemed subdued Friday.

“I know he was close to his grandfather,” he said. “I think he was going through the uncertainty of the whole week. These are two big distractions that supersede what we’re doing.”

Shaqir Rashaun weighed seven pounds 14 ounces and was 23 inches long.

*

Kobe Bryant can opt out of his Laker contract at the end of next season, and those close to him are predicting he’d exercise that right in order to experience free agency but also that he’d ultimately return to the Lakers.

He evaded direct questions about it Saturday, though, and asked if he could see himself leaving Los Angeles, he said he doubted it, but added, “Never say never.”

*

Jackson, on who will start today at power forward: “I’m kind of going from intuition. Maybe Sunday morning I’ll wake up, after Communion on Easter Sunday, I’ll have a different aspect. You can bet that Rob Horry’s going to be in there to finish, though. That’s what counts.”

*

Eight years ago, Jackson interviewed Flip Saunders, then an accomplished CBA coach, for a place on his staff in Chicago. Instead, Saunders became coach of the Timberwolves.... A veteran team that needs time to awaken, the Lakers opted not to travel Friday for a Sunday game that would be played at 12:30 p.m. body time.