They say there are two sides to every story. If that’s true, then there are also two sides to Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is a born storyteller, but he’s also a study in dichotomy. There’s the dominant NBA big man who used to delight in breaking backboards and destroying the will of opposing centers, but there’s also the gentle giant who loves nothing more than buying laptops for underprivileged kids and donating to worthwhile causes within his community.
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Shaq will go down in NBA history as one of the most fearsome and unstoppable players of all time, but that’s not how he wants to be remembered.
In a recent appearance on the Straight Game podcast, the Big Diesel was asked what his legacy is, and his answer had nothing to do with dunks or All-Star appearances or NBA titles.
“I want people to say he was a nice guy,” Shaq responded. From most people, that kind of saccharine statement would ring hollow, but for someone like Shaq who can be seen all the time helping those in need, it carries more weight.
Shaq described an incident he recently experienced to illustrate his point. “I almost had to beat a guy up yesterday in a Beverly Hills restaurant.” Doesn’t sound very nice at first blush, but it made sense once he told his story.
“So I’m at this restaurant yesterday, and I guess this girl messed this dude’s order up, and he goes off on the girl. So I had to go up to him and say, ‘Hey man, you talk to that girl like that again, I’m gonna punch you in your f***** face.'”
As the saying goes, violence is never the answer, but whoever came up with that never considered the positive behavioral effects of having a 7’1″ behemoth letting you know in no uncertain terms that you need to be treating people better.
After presumably making that guy pee his pants and call his mother to tell her he loves her, Shaq approached the waitress, who was still distraught over the incident. “I was like, ‘Baby, how much you want for a tip?’ She was crying. I was like, ‘What do you need?'”
The waitress took responsibility for the mistake. “She said, ‘No, I messed his sandwich up,’ so I gave her $1,000,” Shaq said. He didn’t tell the story or give her money to make himself look like a good guy. After all, he could probably find $1,000 in his sock drawer if he wanted to. He did it to make someone’s life better.
“My point is, be nice to people,” he said. “Imagine having to serve different types of people every day in the restaurant. He was so rude to the little girl, and she was just a little girl trying to get by, I just felt bad.”
Too many rich and powerful people don’t help those that are worse off than them, but Shaq is an example that everyone could learn from. Nothing will erase what he did on the basketball court, but his charitable acts and outlook on life are without a doubt a major part of his legacy.
