Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most iconic personas in the world of sports. Recognized worldwide, Shaq is known as Big Diesel, The Big Aristotle, Dr. Shaq, Manny Shaq-iaou, and much more. However, perhaps his most iconic nickname is Superman. His love for the character is well-documented and even led to him making a movie, titled “Steel” based on the popular DC character. Granted, the movie flopped and lost close to $14,300,000. Nevertheless, Shaq’s admiration for the Man of Steel endured, and he even mourned the character’s untimely death in the comics.
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The movie Steel was released way back in 1997 and had high expectations. After all, it had one of the biggest superstars on the planet, Shaq playing a starring role. But, despite having a massive budget of $16,000,000, the movie only managed to make a measly $1,700,000 at the domestic box office. A poor showing, that led to a massive $14,300,000 loss.
Shaquille O’Neal once mourned the death of Superman in the comics back in 1992
Thanks to his incredible dominance on the court, Shaquille O’Neal adopted the nickname, Superman. The iconic Detective Comics character is considered by many to be the face of the franchise, as was Shaquille O’Neal everywhere he went. As such, the four-time NBA Champion always held him up as his favorite character.
However, back in 1992, tragedy struck. DC Comics shocked the world with a publication titled Superman #75: The Death of Superman. In this comic, the character of Doomsday was introduced. A horrific creature that went on a rampage and ultimately killed the “symbol of hope”.
It was a sad day for comic book readers around the world. Fans mourned the Man of Steel’s passing, as did Shaq. In fact, the Hall of Famer was asked for a quote regarding the character, to which he responded that he would follow in his footsteps and wear the “S” proudly. A statement that led to him getting the iconic logo tattooed on his arm.
The name Superman will always be synonymous with DC. But, basketball fans around the world will always fondly think of Shaq every time they hear it. Even if others try to make the name their own.
Shaq once got into a feud with Dwight Howard regarding the Superman moniker
One of the more high-profile feuds the NBA has seen was between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. Both of them were two of the best centers the NBA has ever seen. However, despite looking up to Shaq, Howard’s relationship with Diesel went south after he attempted to make the Superman moniker his own.
Known to be rather protective of the nickname, O’Neal did not appreciate seeing Howard dawn the blue and red during the 2008 Slam Dunk competition. This was the start of a long and enduring feud between two of the Orlando Magic’s greatest big men.
As things stand, the two are still beefing, although, it has now moved away from the Superman nickname. But, given how their careers unfolded, there can be no denying that there is only one Superman, and his name is Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal.
