During his tenure with the Orlando Magic, Shaquille O’Neal wore the number 32 on his jersey. However, it was not Shaq’s first choice. During a 2019 ‘EJ’s Neat O’ Stat’ segment on ‘Inside the NBA‘, Shaq revealed how his former teammate Terry Catledge demanded $50,000 for the jersey number he wanted.
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Terry Catledge was a veteran on the Orlando Magic squad when Shaq was drafted in 1992. He wore the number 33 on his jersey. Having worn #33 in high school and college, Shaq wanted to continue with the same number. However, Catledge was only willing to give up the number in exchange for a hefty price of $50k.
Quite naturally, Shaq refused and decided to play with 32 instead. However, he certainly harbored some resentment in his heart for the bargaining.
During a 2019 ‘Inside the NBA’ episode, host Ernie Johnson decided to quiz Shaquille O’Neal on his jersey numbers. After guessing his jersey numbers for different teams, the four-time NBA Champion was also providing explanations for choosing those numbers.
The one that caught fans’ attention was the secret of his Orlando Magic jersey. It was clear that Shaq was still angry at Catledge, ” [My jersey number was] 32! Because punk a** Terry Catledge tried to make me pay $50,000.”
Charles Barkley had his share of fun during the segment as he provided commentary behind the explanations. When asked why Shaq wore the number 36 with the Boston Celtics, Chuck said , “Because that’s the number of points he had in a month.”
The Chuckster went on to diss Shaq again for choosing 33 in Cleveland, as this time he said that Shaq had that many points in two months. As usual, Shaq responded to Chuck’s comments by bringing up his four rings.
Four years after his Magic debut, the Big Diesel moved on to the Lakers and had to wear 34 on his back. In this case, the shift was a bit more justified. One of the greatest Laker of all time – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wore number 33 during his playing days. The number was already officially retired by the franchise.
Shaq gets mad at the Clippers for covering the Lakers’ retired jerseys
The Los Angeles Clippers have been leasing the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena till they get their own arena. So when it comes to the home games of the Clippers, they cover up the banners and the retired jerseys of the Lakers. This, however, did not sit well with Lakers legend – Shaquille O’Neal.
In an interview, Shaq expressed his opinion on the Clippers covering up his jersey. He reminded the organization whose building it is and said they have no right to cover the jerseys until they win more than 17 championships. The Clippers are expected to get their arena by 2024. Until then, to Shaq’s dismay, they will continue to use the Lakers arena and cover up their banners.
