Shaquille O’Neal is among the most famous basketball players ever. In addition to having a stacked resume, the Hall of Famer has been in countless commercials and endorsed innumerable brands since his entry into the league in 1992. However, that didn’t happen by chance. The four-time NBA champion wanted to be successful and famous and was jealous of his peers who had achieved what he dreamt of.
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During an episode of The Big Podcast, O’Neal confessed to actor and entertainer Desi Banks that jealousy was one of his biggest motivators when he was younger. It drove him to be as successful, famous, and marketable as three Hall of Famers, who were at the peak of their powers in the early 1990s. He said,
“Let me paint a picture for you first. As a youngster, I always used professional jealousy to motivate me. For example, when I came in, it was Charles [Barkley], and Mike [Michael Jordan], and Magic [Johnson]. And I said to myself, I want all their spot!”
Shaquille O’Neal has revealed on multiple occasions that jealousy was his greatest weapon, as he was always able to use it as motivation to better himself. It helped him stack a pretty impressive resume that isn’t as good as Michael Jordan’s, but certainly gives Magic Johnson’s a run for his money, and is better than Charles Barkley’s CV.
However, in terms of marketability, he has them all beat. Jordan, Magic, and Barkley have taken a step back and don’t feature heavily as faces of campaigns or endorsements. However, O’Neal features frequently in advertisements and movies and is the face of several brands.
The four-time NBA champion achieved what he set out to as a youngster. But that wasn’t enough for him. He’s now jealous of another NBA icon and wishes he knew what he’d go on to achieve so he could push himself to do the same.
Shaquille O’Neal is jealous of LeBron James for being in the GOAT conversation
As LeBron James was closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, O’Neal praised the Lakers superstar’s resume and revealed he envied the four-time MVP. During the 2022 All-Star Game, the Hall of Famer said,
“I knew when he came into the league, he was going to be a great player. I’m a little bit jealous of LeBron, and let me tell you why. We’re all part of the barbershop talk. I’m one of the most dominant big men, but I would love to have my conversation as the greatest of all time. I’m not in that conversation. He is. Kobe Bryant is. Michael Jordan is.”
Apart from James’ resume, O’Neal, who has built an empire reportedly worth $400 million, told Draymond Green on the Warriors star’s podcast that he is jealous of the Lakers superstar’s wealth. He claimed he wished he was a billionaire like the 39-year-old.
However, he added that jealousy motivates him to push himself to join James on the basketball billionaires list. Having it all isn’t enough for O’Neal. He won’t rest until he has more than anyone he can call a peer.
