Few NBA stars in history were as charismatic as Shaquille O’Neal. Even fewer are better than him when it comes to talking to the media, which explains why he’s still almost always in front of the camera, more than a decade after his retirement. O’Neal proved his skills once again during his latest interview. The twist, however, was that he admitted to hating the people who were asking him the questions.
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While this might sound like a notable incident, it was actually a comical moment. Just Shaq being himself. It’s one of his greatest traits, but also one of his biggest weaknesses. Fortunately, this was yet another example of O’Neal’s playful nature being cemented in soundbite history.
The four-time NBA champion was a guest on Off The Record with hosts Bailey Jackson and Lachelle Smith. He was trying to make a point about how professionalism needs a bit of attitude, and couldn’t think of a better example than roasting Jackson and Smith right to their faces.
“I hate your podcast… because you are more professional than me,” said Shaq, who was referring to their show being better than his Big Podcast. “I do. I hate it. Not going to disrespect you, but I hate it.”
O’Neal, then, immediately explained that their podcast studio made his look amateurish. “I make a lot of money, I don’t have this,” he said while pointing to the foam they had on the walls to better capture sound. “You saw me call my guy. I’ve never even seen this.”
The girls laughed, and so did Shaq, before the subject quickly changed. As funny and lighthearted as he was in the moment, you could still see the competitive gears turning in his head. He wants to be the best at everything, which means he’ll probably be upgrading his podcast setup in the near future.
More importantly, the Shaq Fu Master has used media to get his message across on every platform, whether it’s his podcast, social media, Inside the NBA, or the personal press he does himself. And that message is pretty clear. Work hard, play hard, get results.
It’s worked out well for the 53-year-old legend. Endorsement deals keep rolling in, and now he’s trying to bring Reebok back to the level it once was. How does he manage to do it all? By being unapologetically himself. Honestly, it’s impressive.
