7′ Shaquille O’Neal was inches away from sharing the same fate as The Notorious B.I.G

Shaquille O’Neal is many things, including a rapper. In fact, he could have shared the same fate as another rapper, Biggie Smalls!

There are a number of NBA superstars who are more than just basketball players. The likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and the late great Kobe Bryant are just a few.

Another big name on this long list is Shaquille O’Neal. The four-time NBA Champion is a successful businessman, analyst, DJ, and musician.

In fact, Shaq is known to dabble in the musical genre of rap. Over the course of his career, The Big Aristotle released a total of four studio albums, and is the only athlete to have a platinum record!

Also Read: How Kobe Bryant was motivated to score points against Michael Jordan, according to 7′ Shaquille O’Neal

The Hall of Famer has even had a few celebrity collaborations on his albums. He even had his good friend, the late great Notorious B.I.G feature on one of his albums.

Shaquille O’Neal sometimes wonders if he could have shared the same fate as Biggie Smalls back in 1997

The year 1997 was a sad time in the rap world. Rap fanatics were just getting over the loss of Tupac Shakur from the previous loss, only to lose another great in Biggie Smalls.

Biggie, also known as the Notorious B.I.G is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. He was also a close personal friend of another ‘big fella’ in Shaquille O’Neal.

In fact, the 7-foot Lakers icon was meant to attend an after-party with Biggie on the night he was murdered. A fact that sometimes gets him wondering if he could have shared the same fate or perhaps changed it if he hadn’t fallen asleep.

“I just fell asleep. I woke up about 4 o’clock from a call from my mother,” Shaq said. “She said ‘Did you go to the party?’ I’m like, ‘No, what’re you talking about?’ She said, ‘You know, your friend was shot.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ So then I hung up with her and called some people and they told me what had happened.”

It certainly is something to think about. Either way, there is no telling what would have happened. All we can do is remember a great.

Also Read: 282 lbs Charles Barkley called Kevin Durant a corpse despite 51-piece, Shaquille O’Neal left searching for air

Share this article

• Biggie Smalls
• Shaquille O'Neal