Shaquille O’Neal has tried it all when it comes to stepping on multiple ventures and career opportunities. The Big Diesel, who is a permanent analyst for TNT, has done everything. Rapping, DJing, acting, you name it.
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As soon as he became a famous name on the biggest Basketball stage of the world, directors, producers, and TV show hosts all wanted the 7-footer to work with them.
And he became famous right when he entered the league in 1992. But even though he was too young to turn down movie offers and world-famous talk show hosts, O’Neal always remembered what his mother told him.
Shaquille O’Neal did not want to wear a $5000 suit to make corny jokes, his mother taught him otherwise
Talking about how he kept dodging one of the most famous talk show hosts at the time, Arsenio Hall, O’Neal once revealed it was his mother’s advice that was stopping him from accepting Hall’s invite as well as some movies because she wanted his name to be remembered much more than anything else.
“I never wanted to do movies. Thought about it, dreamed about it. So, when I got drafted, Arsenio Hall kept calling me, ‘hey man, I want you to come on the show?’” O’Neal started.
He continued, “but my mother said, ‘make them remember your name.’ I don’t wanna come on your show Arsenio, in a $5000 suit, and tell you stories and have you laugh. I’m gonna do that ’cause that’s the format, but at the end, I gotta make them remember my name.”
Ironic isn’t it? All he does on Inside the NBA for all these years is wear costly suits and make corny jokes.
Shaq did all of those things he didn’t want to do and still, people remember him
Coming, to not doing movies and talk shows, O’Neal did all of them, and although he didn’t have a terrific acting career (cough-cough, Kazaam!), the $400M worth man is a consistent presence on Late Night shows, and it did start with his first appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show as soon as he came into the league.
Guess he couldn’t resist Arsenio anymore.
It’s almost 30 years since his NBA debut, and almost everyone in the world who has any social media handle knows a thing or two about the Big man. Moma Shaq aka Lucille O’Neal must be proud.
