Being an NBA superstar warrants unprecedented fame, especially when you have 2 MVP titles and an NBA championship under your bag. The case was the same for Nikola Jokic, who found it difficult to cope with the fame and stardom he had received following his recent successes. Shaquille O’Neal often shares his opinions and takes on Instagram and seems to be concurring with this thought of the Denver Nuggets superstar. In one of his recent Instagram story reshares, Shaq shared quotes from Jokic’s recent rant about not wanting fame.
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Jokic’s rant, in a way, is reminiscent of Shaq’s beliefs to an extent. Just 14 months back, the Big Diesel confirmed in an interview with PEOPLE how he had denounced his celebrity status thirty years ago, given he found a lot of celebrities to be ‘a**holes.’ Nikola Jokic feels the same way about his fame and celebrity status and is concerned about fans violating his privacy whenever he is in public.
“It just feels sad, whenever you go to the bar, restaurant, some people are just taking their phones out and trying to record you,” ranted Jokic, complaining of the lack of space and privacy due to his umpteen stardom.
Unsurprisingly, the Nuggets center wants to go off the radar upon retirement and lead a normal life rather than one in the spotlight and with cameras around.
Speaking of his plans after finishing his career, Jokic added, “When I finish my career, I really wish nobody knows me. I really wish my kid(s) remember me as a dad, not as a basketball player.”
Nikola Jokic’s tryst with his fame and celebrity status also added to the pressure of winning more accolades, such as an NBA ring until the 2022-23 season. Hence, when Jokic finally won his first championship with the Nuggets, he felt more relief than joy after winning the title. As per NBA Centel, Jokic told the press, “When we won a championship, for me it was like, okay, I felt more relief than joy if that makes sense.”
At this point, Jokic has won almost everything there to solidify his status as one of the NBA greats. Through the years, the Serbian could win even more of such accolades and honours that would etch his name as one of the greatest overseas players in the history of the league.
Jokic’s view seems to align with some of the NBA greats, who are enjoying their time after retirement. Although legends like Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Gilbert Arenas and Charles Barkley decided to stay in touch with the game and the fans, greats like Michael Jordan completely cut themselves off and are rarely seen in the media. From Jokic’s words, it seems like he will be following Jordan’s path after retirement.
Shaquille O’Neal denounced being a celebrity four years ago
Just 14 months before Nikola Jokic’s rant on fame and celebrity status, Shaquille O’Neal also concurred with similar feelings in an appearance on The Impaulsive Podcast. When Logan Paul tried correlating Shaquille O’Neal’s side job as a DJ being easy because of his celebrity status, the Big Diesel corrected Paul, saying he had denounced being a celebrity almost four years ago.
“I denounced myself from being a celebrity three years ago because celebrities are a**holes,” replied the 4x champion after finding out about the dark side of being a celebrity. Indeed, what Shaq had said was true, given fame changed the behaviours and attitudes of several people towards life and their fans.
However, Shaquille O’Neal stayed true to his nature, never acting arrogant or snobby due to his fame and popularity. This is one of the reasons why Shaq is still loved and revered by NBA fans even 12 years after retiring from his professional playing career.
