“All It Takes Is One Word”: When Shaquille O’Neal Revealed the Secret to Unleashing His Inner Hulk

Shaquille O’Neal was always one of the most entertaining personalities in basketball. Whether he was pulling pranks on teammates or cracking jokes with the media, Shaq kept things light-hearted. But underneath the fun-loving personality that everyone adored, Shaq was a ruthless competitor.

Athletes are constantly looking for motivation. Different athletes get their drive from different things. A select few thrive on criticism. The likes of Michael Jordan and the late Kobe Bryant were the biggest examples of that. The big fella is also a member of that club. During an interview with CNBC in 2021, Shaq revealed how he used criticism as fuel.

Shaq received a lot of love from the fans during his NBA days, but he wasn’t immune to criticism. Even though as a family man and a father, Shaq had enough reasons to play hard, the criticism used to add an extra layer to it which he needed. Shaq said, “I like when people criticize me and say I [can’t] do something.”

The naysayers used to bring out his inner Hulk. So, in reality, every opponent he ever terrorized on the court was just catching strays. “That would upset me and when you get a guy like me upset, I’m coming in like The Hulk…there’s no way you can stop it,” the NBA legend said. It didn’t take much to tick him off. In his words, “All it takes is one word to tick me off.”

Shaq’s ability to channel doubt into motivation was one of the reasons he remained at the top for so long. He used negativity as fuel to keep improving. While his natural gifts made him dominant, his mindset kept him hungry. Shaq also credits Phil Jackson for motivating him to be dominant.

Shaquille O’Neal said Phil Jackson gave him the blueprint

There are countless stories about how great Phil Jackson was as a coach. His ability to have a personal connection with his athletes and understanding their game made him arguably the most revered coach in NBA history. He played the same role in Shaq’s life while helping him become the most dominant player ever.

In 2022, when Jackson was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history, the big fella gave him his flowers on TNT’s Pregame Show. He said, “Phil was the one who gave me the blueprint on how to be more dominant.” Shaq called him, “The player’s coach.”

He revealed that Jackson was very fair. On days when Shaq wasn’t feeling 100%, he allowed him to skip a few practice routines but demanded that he drop 30 in the next game. This helped Shaq, who was notorious for not taking workouts seriously, thrive under his guidance.