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“Pulled 5 urinals off the wall after losing in the Playoffs”: Shaquille O’Neal confirms that he did in fact destroy a restroom’s infrastructure after the Lakers lost in 1999

Samir Mehdi
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“Pulled 5 urinals off the wall after losing in the Playoffs”: Shaquille O’Neal confirms that he did in fact destroy a restroom’s infrastructure after the Lakers lost in 1999

Shaquille O’Neal claims to have hilariously pulled off 5 urinals from the wall in a restroom after having lost in the Playoffs in 1999 to the Spurs. 

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the few superstar athletes in North American sports history that is quite literally, larger than life. Stories about the Lakers legend feel more like tales and despite the inkling that whatever he’s involved in may be fake, it is, more likely than not, extremely true. 

Shaquille O’Neal has recently gone on a rampage in terms of talking about stories from his past that seem to be either, refuting a past story or confirming a ‘myth’ about him. When it comes to the former, the 4x champ shockingly revealed that his beef with Kobe Bryant on the Lakers was played up to keep his name in the news cycle at all times.

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While on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ a day ago, Shaq revealed that he didn’t choke out his Suns teammate because he wouldn’t pass him the ball. Instead, it was because Gordan Giricek was getting in his face about an MMA fighter from his country and ‘O’Neal wasn’t trying to hear any of it. 

Shaquille O’Neal confirms that he pulled out 5 urinals from a restroom after a Playoffs loss. 

Despite establishing himself as one of the most dominant forces to grace NBA hardwood well before 2000, Shaquille O’Neal hadn’t won a championship yet. This led the narrative around him to lean towards him putting up empty stats. 

This narrative was at its peak after the Los Angeles Lakers embarrassingly got swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the WCSF in 1999. In a bout of frustration, Shaquille O’Neal, as confirmed by himself on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’, tore up a restroom by pulling out 5 urinals from the wall.

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He would later calm down after being approached by Jerry West who told him that he lost in the NBA Finals 9 times before finally claiming his first ever championship ring. It’s safe to say that, following that fateful night, Shaq never had to terrorize a restroom like that again. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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