“I Had My Walkman and Princess Girlfriend”: When 7FT 1” Shaquille O’Neal Was Ostracized by High School Coach for Being Famous

Nithin Joseph | 09/12/2022
“I Had My Walkman and Princess Girlfriend”: When 7FT 1” Shaquille O’Neal Was Ostracized by High School Coach for Being Famous

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest superstars the NBA has ever seen. Both literally and figuratively, the man was huge.

Standing at 7’1″ and 325 pounds, Shaq was a force to be reckoned with. He is, after all, one of the most dominant players in league history.

But it was always like this. Ever since he was a kid, Diesel was a force to be reckoned with everywhere he went. So much so that it was starting to get to his head in high school, forcing his coach to teach him a lesson.

Also Read: “Shareef and I vs Scottie Pippen and His Son!”: Shaquille O’Neal Issues $660,000 Challenge to the 6x NBA Champion

Shaquille O’Neal was ostracized in high school for being too famous

When one is as talented at basketball as Shaquille O’Neal is, it is bound to lead to an inflated ego. This was exactly the case for Shaq himself. The man was all about fame in high school.

It was such a problem, that it became a huge concern for his high school coach, Joe Cavallero. Diesel revealed in his book Shaq Uncut, that his coach attempted to humble him. How? By getting everyone in the school to ostracize him.

“So one day I get to school and I’m walking down the left side of the hall and I notice everyone else is walking on the right. When I sit down at lunch, everyone gets up the minute I put down my tray. I’m thinking, “What the hell is this?” It was Joe Cavallero that did it. He thought I was getting too big. He thought I was forgetting about the team and focusing too much on myself, and he was right. I had to humble myself. Joe was going to make sure I did because if I didn’t, he knew we couldn’t win. That shit went on for a week. It was kind of lonely, but I had my Walkman and my princess girlfriend, so it could have been worse.”

Unfortunately for his coach, Shaq didn’t learn the lesson at the time. But it did get to him after a while.

Shaq wasn’t too bothered, as he knew that he was bound for LSU

His Walkman and girlfriend aside, Shaq revealed that there was another reason he didn’t let his coach’s plan get to him. His ego had become such a problem that he pushed himself away by telling himself that he didn’t need his high school and that he was bound for LSU.

It’s evident why his coach wanted to fix his ego. Luckily, The Big Aristotle eventually got to it.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Myles O’Neal and Ex-Wife Shaunie Henderson Talk About “Million Dollar” Businesses and Fake Moon Landings

Post Edited By: Adit Pujari
Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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