Juwan Howard was not the most talented player in the NBA but became famous for being the first player to receive a $100,000,000 contract. However, this did not sit well with former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal who believed that Juwan did not deserve the money. In his book, ‘Shaq Talks Back‘, he expressed his feelings while indirectly pointing fingers at Jerry Buss for not paying him.
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Shaq entered the league two years before Howard and was under a 4-year, $17,400,000 contract with the Orlando Magic. He would go on to sign a 120 million-dollar contract with the Lakers in 1996. After the book was released in 2001, he went on to taunt the LA team owner to pay him.
Shaquille O’Neal pointed finger at Juan Howard
Juwan played for 19 seasons in the league and averaged a respectable 13 points per game. He made news after signing a 7-year, $105,375,000 contract with the Washington Bullets in 1996. This cemented his place in the history books for being the first player to cross the 9-figure salary mark. However, with the money that came his way, it brought with it a lot of envy. As O’Neal described in the book:
“However much money they paid to see me play, they knew I was giving it my all and I was doing it for them. They knew I was busting my ass. They knew I wasn’t one of those guys who worry about getting all that money and ain’t worth the money, doesn’t do anything, a guy like Juwan Howard. The ticket price was gonna be raised to $50. They knew they’d pay $50 to come get a show.”
The big man has never been shy of speaking his mind, calling out the Washington player for not being worth the money. His fans were thoroughly entertained with him on the floor, and Shaq knew it. He believed himself to be the best player on the court and would establish himself as the most dominant big man in the game.
When Shaq was on an expiring contract with the Lakers, he expected a 3-year extension worth over $100 million. Jerry would not meet the desired extension, and Shaq was not pleased. He would eventually leave the organization to join the Miami Heat after eight successful seasons with the Lakers.
Shaquille O’Neal’s obsession with money
The four-time champion’s obsession with money resulted in him leaving a good team in Orlando Magic and was also a contributing factor in breaking the Shaq-Kobe dynasty. Though he would argue that his decisions led to him winning multiple championships, he also left a sour taste in the mouth of the previous organization.
The irony of the situation is that it eventually took a Shaq pay cut to help the Miami Heat win a championship. He was being paid $27.6 million in his final season with the Lakers, which he would reject to sign a contract worth $40 million that spanned over two years with the Miami Heat.
