“I’m Not the Best”: When Shaquille O’Neal Revealed His Idea of Achieving Greatness

Shaquille O’Neal was never one to shy away from being over-confident on the court throughout his NBA career. He’s also quick to mention his accolades whenever he feels remotely slighted, often in discussions like Dwight Howard or Charles Barkley. But, despite being obsessed with his own greatness, the Hall of Fame big man admitted that he doesn’t believe he’s the best under his own idea of greatness.

Shaq achieved plenty throughout his basketball career, but it did take him seven years before he was finally able to get over the hump and win his first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was always a dominant force, but he doesn’t think he reached his potential as quickly as he could have.

The question of greatness comes to a different answer for everyone. For Shaq, it’s a combination of three different parts: growth, heights, and speed.

“To achieve greatness means to maximize your potential at the highest possible level, and the highest possible rate. I don’t really consider myself the best, but the fact that people consider me the best, I take as a great honor and as testament to the hard work and what I was able to achieve,” Shaq told Dr. Vikas Shah for Thought Economics.

O’Neal clearly appreciates the fanbase he created with over a decade of unmatched dominance. He is thankful for the appreciation he gets. But, other’s opinions does not mean anything for Shaq’s own standards. Instead, he credits the work he put in as the main reason he became the talent that he did.

“I’m not the best, I’ve never considered myself the best, you know. The fact that people think I was the best just shows that I’m a tireless worker, I never stopped working and never stopped believing,” Shaq continued.

It’s funny to hear, considering Shaq was known to be one of the laziest and least consistent workers in the NBA throughout his career. His successful career happened in spite of his work ethic, not because of it. But, those were never Shaq’s priorities.

Shaq shared two priorities he has when he’s around people – making them smile and creating a positive impact. That’s an easy goal to accomplish with his DJ’ing side hustle, but Shaq also incorporates these objectives into his business meetings.

Shaquille O’Neal has a unique approach to talking business

While the main goal of most businessmen is to bring in as much money as possible as quickly as possible, finances aren’t the first priority in Shaq’s meetings. The Lakers legend doesn’t even want to hear about money while doing business, instead making it his goal to build relationships.

“I never think about money anymore. I don’t,” Shaq said in 2021. “I don’t want to do anything based on money. I want to have relationships with people. I want to help companies grow.” With a net worth north of $400 million, O’Neal’s finances are secure. Now, he wants to help others find financial security.

These days, Shaq is mostly known for his antics with the Inside the NBA crew. But the 53-year-old has shown on multiple occasions that giving back is a cornerstone of his life.