In his 2011 book Shaq Uncut: My Story, Shaquille O’Neal narrated a harrowing tale of discrimination during his high school days. Because of his enormous physique, he witnessed a cheerleader yelling at him before a game.
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This incident just fueled Shaq’s desire to thoroughly dominate the game. Constantly the target of bullying, then 6’11” O’Neal went on a rampage in the game. The rim bore the brunt of his frustration in the end and the game saw a premature end.
All this transpired after the Robert G. Cole High School Center entered the gym before the game. He saw a cheerleader smiling at him and responded by returning the smile. However, she unexpectedly screamed “Freak” as she saw Shaq’s smiling face.
The shriek was so loud that the LSU-bound big man had to cover his ears. O’Neal was unable to “fathom” this reaction. Despite being used to such verbal abuse, he still couldn’t wrap his head around the way she shrieked. He wondered if people believed that he had no emotions just because he was bigger than everyone else around him.
Therefore, Shaq answered the best way he could. He dunked as hard as possible during the game. Before the opening whistle, he assertively said, “Get me the ball”. After his first dunk, the rim bent forward. It was an indication that this game won’t see an end.
“When he got it again, he slammed it with such force the rim drooped to the right. ‘By the third time he dunked,’ More later recalled, ‘the rim looked like a roller coaster.’ The biggest upset in high school basketball would have to wait another day,” Shaq Uncut noted.
Therefore, basketball became an avenue for the Big Aristotle to take out his frustrations. He couldn’t stop the hate coming his way but he used it as fuel to channel himself further. By the time he became an adult, Shaq had learned to deal with the negativities in life.
Shaquille O’Neal recalled being bullied
One may think that picking on someone as big as Shaquille O’Neal is the worst idea ever. But even Shaq wasn’t safe from school bullies. School kids called O’Neal a bunch of names. His timid behaviour didn’t help matters either and his stammering was the icing on the cake for the abusers.
During his interview with Graham Bensinger, recalling the name-calling, Shaq stated, “Shaq-Kwil, Sasquatch, Big African. So I stuttered when I talked. Big dummy. I was always shy.” Since he was portrayed as foolish, his insecurities peaked when he was in the company of the top performers in his school.
“I would look at you, you know, look at your test scores, you look like a smart-. You’d probably have an 80 or a 90. I was intimidated by that,” added the Diesel.
This is why hooping became the abode where he could shine. It was a place where he felt that he could feel much more comfortable in his skin. And it paid off in the long run for the 2000 NBA MVP.
