The NBA’s popularity in Japan and China isn’t a novel phenomenon. In terms of having diehard fans, we have seen both former and active players receive unbelievable admiration from crowds. Shaquille O’Neal also drew a humungous fan reception when he went to Tokyo, Japan. In his 2011 memoir Shaq Uncut, co-authored by Jackie MacMullan, he remembered the time when he went to Japan’s capital city and had to be shielded by the riot police.
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Engulfed by a sea of 15,000+ fans, Shaquille O’Neal was overwhelmed by the force of the crowd. To get a closer look at the NBA legend, people were ready to go all out. In his 2011 biography, Shaquille O’Neal recalled how the riot police had to control the endless stream of fans.
“I did one appearance where there were about fifteen thousand fans, and they kept pushing closer and closer, and when they announced I’d be signing autographs it was like a dam broke loose and these people were all coming straight for me. They had to bring out the riot police so the fans wouldn’t rip me to pieces,” recalled Shaq in his 2011 memoir.
Apart from this overwhelming fan reaction, what Shaq liked the most about his Tokyo Trip was meeting a “genuine” sumo wrestler. The wrestler gifted Shaq a katana as well, but he couldn’t take it back home due to airport regulations.
“My favorite part of that trip was when I got to meet a genuine sumo wrestler. He gave me a samurai sword as a gift, but they wouldn’t let me take it on the plane,” reminisced Shaquille O’Neal in his 2011 autobiography.
Such a force of fans can make people averse to public appearances. However, Shaq has repeatedly called himself a “people’s person”. He’d even go out of his way to interact with people from all walks of life. The ever-present celebrity refuses to try sneaky methods to avoid people.
Shaquille O’Neal isn’t afraid of the public
There are numerous videos and pictures of O’Neal hugging and exchanging pleasantries with people. He is certainly not afraid of stepping out in public and making his presence in places that are frequented by people from different economic strata.
During the NBA promotional in the wake of the Abu Dhabi preseason games, Shaq told The Guardian, “I’m just passionate about having the opportunity to do things to touch people, make people smile, have a good time.”.
This endearing personality of Shaq has touched fans for many decades now. He’s not a “hush-hush” type of celebrity and is ready to engage in public activities that he hasn’t planned. Since his Orlando Magic days, he’d go out and play pickup ball with random people on the street. As a DJ, he makes random appearances in the shows. It is a commonplace occurrence when he buys a cycle for someone in the store.
