51-Year-Old Shaquille O’Neal Finds a Rare Treasure Trove of Pictures Covering His Early Childhood to LSU Days

Shaquille O’Neal just posted a trip down memory lane on his recent Instagram story. The post featured a series of Shaq’s old pictures growing up, right from his childhood, to his glory days of playing basketball in college as an LSU Tiger. The clip was posted by a fan account shaqwithme on Instagram, which also featured some rare clips of Shaq as a rookie, selected by the Orlando Magic.

Shaquille O’Neal indeed had quite a journey from growing up in Texas to becoming one of the greatest centers in the NBA. Besides his legendary NBA career, Shaq was a prodigy during his days playing college ball at LSU as well. The Tigers have recognized the legacy of O’Neal for their team, having honored the big man with his very own statue next to the LSU basketball training facility.

Shaquille O’Neal took his Instagram followers on a trip down memory lane with a nostalgic clip of his old pictures

Shaquille O’Neal’s magnanimous personality can be attributed to his strict and disciplined upbringing in his household. The clip shared by Shaq features pictures of the big man from his days as a young boy playing for his high school and college basketball teams.

The 7’1″ legend was an incredible prospect during his playing days as an LSU Tiger. His achievements included the 1991 NCAA men’s basketball player of the year and two-time All-American. For all his contributions as an eminent basketball player for his college team, Shaq was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame and honored with a 900lbs bronze statue in front of the LSU Basketball Practice Facility.

Much of Shaq’s prowess and discipline as a basketball player can be owed to the upbringing of his step-father Phillip Harrison, a retired US Army sergeant. Shaq spent the majority of his childhood in army bases around Texas and Germany, which contributed greatly to his personality today.

Shaq is currently aged 51 and is one of the most beloved personalities in the NBA. Despite his humongous height and gargantuan stature, the big man is also known as the ‘Gentle Giant’ for his childlike persona and fun-loving nature. After retiring from basketball, Shaq pursued a wide range of interests, from being a TV sports analyst, a business mogul, to an emerging DJ in the electronic scene. There is little doubt, he has been successful in almost all of his pursuits.

Shaquille O’Neal was once distracted with a $10,000,000 offer after DJ-ing in local school and college parties

Shaq’s change of trajectory from a star basketball player to a DJ might seem drastic to fans. However, not many know that the Diesel always had an interest in being a DJ since his early teenage years. In an article by Yahoo! Music, Editor-in-Chief Lyndsey Parker noted how Shaq saved $200 to buy his first set of turntables from a pawn shop at age 14. That’s when he started getting offers to play sets at local college and high-school parties.

As a teenager, Shaq had made quite a name within his locality with his DJ-ing endeavors. This was when Jive Records noticed the young teen’s skills and offered him three rap albums for $10,000,000. Shaq accepted the offer and got the chance to rap with his favorite rap group, the Fu-Schnickens.

Although Shaq’s transition from basketball to electronic music may seem like an unexpected detour, he always had plans to pursue his aspirations as a Disc Jockey at some point. Now, we can successfully conclude, that DJ Diesel got to live all of his dreams, all thanks to his hard work and determination.