In the NBA world, there are only a few people bigger than Shaquille O’Neal, quite literally and figuratively as well. The 7ft 1″, 325 lbs big man dominated in his 19 seasons in the NBA and then has been incredible in his media career as well.
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He’s won 4 NBA Championships, has 3 Finals MVP honors, was a 16x All-Star, and was an NBA MVP. Even after retirement, the big man keeps winning. He’s helped Inside the NBA regain its top spot as the best basketball show on network TV.
Along with being a part of two TNT shows, Shaq also runs a podcast with them named The Big Podcast. Shaq, along with Nischelle Turner and Spice Adams, discuss various topics, from the NBA, to things happening in the real world. This week, Spice asked Shaq something which got a very ‘arrogant’ reply from Big Diesel.
Shaquille O’Neal revealed he was never nervous about taking on NBA legends
During his days on the NBA court, Shaquille O’Neal was a force of nature. The 7ft 1″ big man had mobility like no other big at that time, and could absolutely dominate any opponent in the paint. This week, when discussing Damian Lillard’s 71-point performance, Nischelle asked Shaq if any player during his time brought out the best in him.
Shaq replied and said, “All the great centers before me. I had to play well against them. One, I had to earn their respect. I had to let them know I’m coming to take their spot.”
He then proceeded to name Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Rick Smith, and Yao Ming.
Spicy then asked Shaq if there was any center that he played well against which surprised him. Shaq wasn’t too happy with this question and said,
“No. Do you know what fraternity I am in? I always persevere brother. Stop it brother. I ain’t no Kappa, I ain’t no Alpha, I ain’t no Sigma brother. You know who I am?”
Shaq talked about how he always made the best of his opportunities to raise his stock, which in turn would earn more money, which in turn would result in him buying any house for his mama.
That’s Big Diesel for you. No matter how tough he looks, he’s a big softie when it comes to his mama.
Shaq bought his mom a $1 million mansion with his first pay check
Growing up, Shaq did not have much. Lucille O’Neal never had a car for herself, let alone a house. Talking about how he spent his first money, Shaq said,
“I brought me a couple of cars and a bit of jewellery, but before I even got myself a place I had to buy my mom a palace, because we grew up in small houses. I was very, very blessed, I got a lot of money, so I just had to make sure she was straight.”
Since then, he’s acquired quite a bit of wealth and still takes care of everyone in his family. From his mother, to his siblings, to his own children, Shaq is the big alpha, who provides for all.
