“Grandmother, Odessa Chambliss, Died”: Months Before $115,000,000 Dispute, Shaquille O’Neal Was Deeply Hurt By Orlando Magic’s Insensitive Rebuke

It is no secret that Shaquille O’Neal’s time at Orlando Magic ended in tumultuous fashion. A few months before leaving his massive $115,000,000 dispute, Shaq’s grandmother, Odessa Chambliss, had tragically passed away. O’Neal was utterly close to his grandma, who helped raise him. Shaq established the Odessa Chambliss charity fund years later in her memory. Upon her death, when Shaq failed to inform the Magic about the details of his schedule, the management rebuked him. Shaq claimed in his book “Shaq Uncut” that he lost all desire to play for the franchise after the incident.

Eventually, it were O’Neal’s payment demands that was said to be the biggest reason why he left. This was in addition to Penny Hardaway being chosen as the face of the franchise. While Shaq didn’t want to be the lesser superstar on his team, his relationship with the Magic seems to have soured long before these clashes occurred.

Shaquille O’Neal was rebuked by Orlando Magic days after passing of grandmother

Shaq revealed in his book that he had never before lost anyone who was this close to him. The “Jesus-loving” woman had helped bring up Shaq, who built her a mansion when he won his first contract in the NBA.

However, the funeral was held on a Thursday and the Magic were scheduled to play on Sunday. When O’Neal failed to provide the details of his schedule, Magic responded by blasting him, and called him ‘juvenile and unreliable.’

“Earlier that April, O’Neal had left the Magic for a few days after his grandmother, Odessa Chambliss, died from cancer. It was a terrible shock. Chambliss was a Jesus[1]loving woman who had helped raise a young Shaquille. After signing his first professional contract, O’Neal built her a mansion in Newark, New Jersey. When he learned of her passing, ‘I went downstairs and cried by myself for three hours,’ O’Neal recalled. ‘I had never lost anyone close to me. I cried and cried.’”

“The funeral was held on a Thursday, and the Magic were slated to play next on the following Sunday. When O’Neal failed to call the team with a precise schedule of his return, management unloaded, blasting him as juvenile and unreliable. After that, he ‘had no desire to play for the Magic,’ he recalled. ‘None whatsoever.’”

There is little doubt that Magic had no right to blast Shaq when he was dealing with such a huge loss. The franchise eventually lost a player who was going to win 4 NBA rings in his career and formed the league’s best-ever duo with Kobe Bryant.

Orlando Sentinel ran a poll on O’Neal, asking fans if he deserved $115,000,000

There were a range of issues that Shaq and Magic got into, during his final months at the franchise. Upon learning of his $115 million demands, the Sentinel ran a poll asking fans if Shaq was worth the money, according to  Basketball  Network.

When over 90% of fans responded with “no,” Shaq knew that his time with Magic was coming to an end. A range of teams were willing to meet his demands, including the LA Lakers, where he eventually wound up at.

Shaquille O’Neal had been told by his grandma that she didn’t want a big funeral. Instead, he decided to dedicate his 50-point performance against the Nets to her. He also eventually built a charity foundation in her name.