Pat Riley has hit massive home runs over the course of his legendary career as both a coach and executive.

Most recently, Riley brought together the Big Three, signing both Chris Bosh and LeBron James to join Dwyane Wade in Miami. That move led to four Finals appearances and two titles.

But in Riley's mind, his biggest move wasn't convincing the King to take his talents to South Beach. Instead, he says it was the trade for Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.

"I'll say this, and I mean this," Riley told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, "Shaq's acquisition was bigger than any acquisition that we ever made, including the Big Three."

On paper, the O'Neal addition - while significant - doesn't quite stack up to the 2010 free agency coup. The Heat won the championship in 2006, but they imploded shortly after and O'Neal was quickly traded.

But there's a process to how things happen, and Riley's point is that adding O'Neal brought respect to the Heat franchise.

"The seminal moment," Riley says, "to really make us really, really legitimate. (O'Neal) turned our franchise around. He gave us real legitimacy."

O'Neal was past his prime by the time he reached Miami, but still averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks to give Dwyane Wade a credible sidekick on route to Miami's first-ever championship.