A man of culture, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most popular sports personalities around the world. The Hall of Famer remains a prominent figure even today via his umpteen investments and television assignments, not to forget his million-dollar endorsements and DJing gigs.
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Nonetheless, the four-time champion is admired most for his dominance on the hardwood. Standing at 7 feet tall and weighing 325 lbs, Shaq was a force unlike the league had ever seen before, having opponents beat with his mere physical stature.
In his 19 seasons, Shaq accomplished almost every accolade in the NBA book, including four championships, three Finals MVPs, one league MVP, fourteen All-NBA selections, fifteen All-Star selections two scoring titles, amongst many others.
One can imagine Shaq’s trophy cabinet being laden with gold. Nevertheless, the Lakers MVP has a rule when it comes to this.
Shaquille O’Neal reveals why you should never touch a trophy.
An all-time NBA great, Shaq achieved success in every stage of his pro basketball career, beginning from winning the ROTY award to being a top 75 player of all time. However, the Big Diesel always maintained that he would never touch a trophy unless he had earned it.
“Bad luck to touch the trophy,” said Shaq.
“Bad luck to touch the trophy when you don’t earn it. My father always used to say-cause you know when you’re a kid, you get the trophy from the local shop, he be like, ‘if you listen to me, guys you get this, you wanna touch it, don’t touch it cause it’s bad luck, you gotta earn it.”‘
Well, we can imagine a young Shaq adhering to his Jamaican stepfather and Army Seargent Philip Arthur Harrison.
A look at Shaquille O’Neal’s four championships.
The former seven-foot center had most of his success donning the purple and gold. The Diesel played eight seasons in LA, 3-peating from 2000-02, and was Finals MVP each time.
Traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, Shaq would mentor a budding superstar in Dwyane Wade, who would lead him to his fourth championship.
