Before becoming a superstar and one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, Shaquille O’Neal apparently had a very different personality. Now we all know the Shaq of today, always confident, often cocky, and overall fun to be around. But that’s not the Shaq that Dennis Scott remembers.
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On an episode of Run It Back, the Orlando Magic legend revealed the story of Shaq’s early days in the NBA.
In his four years of playing with the big fella, Scott knew a Shaq who was scared, indecisive, and often naive about a lot of things. The 56-year-old said that people shouldn’t be fooled by the modern-day Shaq because the younger version of the Diesel is still very real to him.
Scott recalled, “Don’t let the Shaq we know now fool you. Shaq was naïve. He was humble. He was scared. He was sitting in the back of the bus asking all these crazy questions.”
Not sure if we’ve ever seen a scared Shaq, but that’s the privilege of being in the close circle of superstars. Scott knows things about the big fella that not a lot of people are privy to.
"Don't let the @Shaq we know now fool you. He was naive, humble… His agent at the time calls, he says, 'Man they're about to offer me $100M, I won't be able to go anywhere.' I said, 'Fool you can't go anywhere now.'" – @Dennis3DScott 🤑
📺⬇️https://t.co/CfAwAvgFYZ pic.twitter.com/0PyzpJPnxu
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 15, 2024
D-Scott also recalled an instance that outlines just how simple Shaq was. The then Magic star had gotten a call from his agent informing him that he was being offered $100 million for a deal.
“ [Shaq said,] ‘Man, they’re about to offer me a $100 million, I won’t be able to go anywhere.’ I said, ‘Fool, you can’t go nowhere now. What are you talking about?’” Scott recounted.
Surely, Shaq has come a long way over the last few decades. While he isn’t naive or scared anymore, he still has the humility he started with.
Dennis Scott once said ‘Shaq changes your life’
Shaq was a star from the very beginning. While it took some time for him to propel himself to superstar status, the Orlando Magic franchise knew that he was the perfect fit for them. During an interview, Scott acknowledged that being on the same team as the Diesel led him to experience luxury.
Scott said, “He changes your life. He changes how we do things. He changes how we travel. All of a sudden a new plane went from a van that we had two buses. They went from a regular hotel to Ritz Carlton. It’s because you’re not putting Shaq in the regular bed. You’re not putting Shaq in a regular plane, so that’s the impact he had on this franchise in this city.”
Because of his humility, Shaq will never boast about these things. It’s great to see an old friend and teammate of his doing it on his behalf.
