It will be safe to say Shaquille O’Neal does not have a lot of regrets about how his 19-year NBA stint went. He won the championship 4 times, the Finals MVP thrice, and is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players to play in the league. Even after his retirement in 2011, O’Neal stayed relevant to the NBA by joining TNT as an analyst. His hilarious personality, basketball acumen, and the respect he commands from other NBA personalities have allowed him to be highly successful as an analyst as well. So much so that, that when O’Neal was asked about missing basketball 4 years after his retirement, he had an utterly nonchalant reply.
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Asked about missing basketball in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Shaq had a simple response. He claimed that he will never miss it, as he had already slayed all of his enemies. Considering his goofy personality and tendency to make jokes, O’Neal stayed true to his character. In essence, he claimed that he had already done everything he set out to do, at the start of his NBA career. The way he conveyed the message is familiar to his overall wholesome and hilarious personality.
Shaquille O’Neal revealed he will never miss playing basketball in an entertaining interview
The interview saw Shaq make a series of questionable claims that might not sit well with all NBA fans. First and foremost, O’Neal claimed that the real NBA was even before his era, back in late 1980s. Shaq claimed that the era of the bad boys of the Detroit Pistons’ rivalry with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan was the “real NBA.” He claimed that he also played in a soft era.
Moving on, O’Neal had some choice words for Anthony Davis, claiming that Davis’s size meant he was barbeque chicken for the 4-time champion. Shaq went on to call Stephen Curry cute.
Finally, O’Neal was also asked about his best “big-3” of all time. He ended up naming Julius Erving and Michael Jordan alongside himself. Regardless, the interview also touched upon whether he missed playing in the NBA. O’Neal had another hilarious response to the question:
“Never. No, I don’t miss the game. Because, to put it in kung fu terms, the master Shaq Fu killed off all of his enemies. Now, there are new enemies that have come up, but they’re no match for the great Shaq Fu. So, the great Shaq Fu is in the mountain, chilling with Buddha and the monasteries, chilling with the rest of the Buddhist monks. And whoever wants to challenge him, they know where to find him.”
Needless to say, O’Neal successful analyst career has kept him busy since his retirement. To add to that, Shaq is a huge philanthropist as well. He has numerous charitable initiatives going on at any given point of time.
O’Neal is still loved by NBA fans, years after his retirement
Shaquille O’Neal is easily one of the most popular figures associated with the NBA today. A long-term Hollywood career, a hilarious personality, multiple rap projects and philanthropic contributions apart, O’Neal’s knowledge of the game is also unparalleled.
O’Neal has managed to balance his initiatives with a constant desire to have fun. Shaq is a budding DJ under the alias “DJ Diesel.” He has his own annual music festival called the “Shaq Funhouse.”
With a net worth of over $400 million, O’Neal has rightly earned the right to enjoy his life. The fact that he is always devoted to giving it back to society is also utterly commendable.
