Shaquille O’Neal lived all his childhood dreams at once after being drafted into the NBA. Shaq always had a child-like glee in himself, a desire to explore all the fun things around him. After he was drafted by the Orlando Magic as the first overall pick in 1992, the Big Diesel could finally avail the resources to live his life like a King. Starting his career in Orlando, Florida, he had the chance of living close to the Disney World and the Universal Studios. Not many fans know that Shaq’s spree of having fun once led him to beat one of Michael Jackson’s ‘records’ in Universal Studios.
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Universal Studios in Orlando houses one of the best theme parks in North America, ranked sixth in the region and 11th in the world. So it’s highly surprising that it caught the attention of a jovial Shaquille O’Neal, slowly getting familiar with a new city. Developed with tropes similar to the Disney World, the theme park features a simulation ride of the DeLorean time machine from the movie Back to the Future. Called Back to the Future: The Ride, this amazing installation caught Shaq’s attention, often beaconing him to Universal Studios during his time with the Magic.
Shaquille O’Neal once broke a Michael Jackson record in Universal Studios
Michael Jackson had created a unique record of riding the Back to the Future ride in Orlando five times in a row. The ride was installed initially in 1991 at the World Expo area of Universal Studios, Florida, after the success of the 1985 movie. A 22-year-old Shaquille O’Neal was so fascinated with this ride that he ended up breaking MJ’s record by quite a huge margin. A Sports Illustrated article from 1994 suggested that Shaq proudly declared himself to be the holder of the new record. The article quotes him saying,
“I rode the Back to the Future ride out there 12 times in one day. It’s a record. They told me that Michael Jackson’s record was five, so what I did, I doubled it and then I did it twice more. You know how long it took? Not long. About an hour. Then I went and rode the King Kong ride.”
Shaq, like several others in his generation, loved Michael Jackson and grew up listening to Thriller. In his childhood days, he was also fascinated by the Jackson Five and had several merchandise related to the late singer and his former music group. Incidentally, the King of Pop once pulled up to Shaq’s door leaving him speechless. This was because Shaq had purchased a property that MJ was interested in previously, back in 1993.
Michael Jackson knocking on Shaq’s door left him speechless
Michael Jackson was interested in buying the lakeside property where Shaq resided in Orlando. The NBA star had purchased the property before MJ could go forward with his interest in 1993. One day, out of the blue, the King of Pop showed up at Shaq’s door in the most surprising turn of events. One might think he came to buy back the house. However, in reality, he had just come to check how Shaq had kept the place.
Shaq was fascinated to see Jackson in person and gave him a tour around his house. He was particularly excited to show MJ his Superman bed, which could fit 45 people. Years later, when Shaq moved to the Lakers, he was invited by MJ to Neverland. As the Diesel recalled, it was one of the most pleasant and exciting memories of his lifetime.
Shaq still remembers Michael Jackson as a role model, an inspiration, and as a friend. He was deeply impacted by his death in 2009, and called him one of the most amazing performers of his lifetime.
