The gradual shift in the behavior of modern society has apparently sparked the interest of Shaquille O’Neal. He recently lamented on being unable to beat anyone now due to the apparent changes in social power dynamics. The big man openly expressed his regret over this, while narrating one real-life experience.
Advertisement
In the latest episode of “POUND 4 POUND”, the 52-year-old shed light on his perspective in the presence of Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. He jokingly called out the UFC fighters for showing the seeming weaklings of society all the tools required to fight the bigger men. The Big Aristotle revealed how it led to him having to be all kinds of cautious in public and having to think twice before taking action.
“I love y’all of course but I don’t like y’all. Back in my days, I used to smash all little motherf***ers. Just smash them. Say anything, I’m punching your face. Now, because of what y’all do, got to be careful,” he mentioned.
Following this, he admitted witnessing one such instance at a bar once. At that time, one physically bigger person tried to humiliate a smaller man, before having to pay a hefty price for it. As per Shaq, the latter “beat the s**t out of this big dude” in public, without any hesitation. It led to the 4x champion deriving a priceless lesson of consciously staying in his lane at all times.
Undoubtedly, Shaq was joking around throughout the conversation in the process of highlighting the UFC’s contributions. Yet, this change has facilitated a seeming equilibrium in society. It has forced the bigger men, such as O’Neal, to stop using their size to bully those smaller than them in stature. This concept is beyond an important one, especially when considering the consequences that O’Neal has seen for failing to adhere to it.
How Shaquille O’Neal’s inability to control his emotions led to a traumatic experience
Later in the show, ‘The Big Diesel’ narrated an instance from his school life, shedding light on his “medium-level juvenile delinquent” nature at that time. Shaq reminisced about throwing a spit wad at the board as a teenager, just to amuse the class. Soon, a classmate sitting next to him helped the teacher identify O’Neal as the ‘culprit’, resulting in his suspension from school. This angered Shaq.
The New Jersey-born would later mercilessly hit the classmate to express his frustration with the scenario. The bullied classmate consequently started swallowing his tongue, as he suffered an epilepsy attack. Thankfully, another batchmate of the Big Aristotle’s arrived at the spot to save the then-child’s life.
This incident instilled fear in the heart of Shaq. The big man admitted that ever since then, he started to avoid engaging in unnecessary battles. This traumatic experience shaped his life as he eventually matured to become a kind-hearted gentleman who now looks to bring joy to the world with his every action.
A redemption story as good as any in the world.
