Talk to any casual basketball fan, and they’ll say Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most recognizable names in NBA history. Through his body of work, O’Neal has made quite a name for himself to the point that even non-basketball fans know his name. Which is why it is hard to believe that there was a point in time when O’Neal hated his name. It took one revelation for his mind to change, and his career followed.
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Throughout the years, Shaq has reached global notoriety. He didn’t let basketball define him as a person or as a businessman. He simply used his on-court talents as a vehicle to spread his name around the world.
O’Neal achieved this feat through countless brand deals, both small and large. In hindsight, he was just fulfilling a prophecy made by his mother.
“My mother used to always say this thing before I played,” O’Neal said in Netflix’s Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal. “Let them remember your name.”
At the time, O’Neal didn’t understand the significance of his mother’s words. His focus was simply on playing basketball. He didn’t have much care for his name.
“When I was a youngster, I used to hate my name. And then one day it hit me,” O’Neal said. “All the great basketball players have great names.”
Shaq remembers the specific play that changed the course of his life vividly. It came during a basketball game. The 7-foot-1 big man was going through the motions as per usual. He was on offense and took advantage of an opening, and threw down a massive dunk.
O’Neal grew accustomed to the crowd’s roar after any of his dunks. But one fan stood out in particular. He yelled out, “Shaquille O’Neal!” The four-time NBA champion revealed, “It’s like the basketball gods just entered my body. That’s what always motivates me.”
That motivation has pushed O’Neal to reach tremendous heights even following his retirement from basketball. He became a member of the NBA on TNT’s Inside the NBA, which has won multiple awards since becoming a part of the show full-time.
O’Neal made sure to include his name in every business venture he made. Even in his appearances in blockbuster films such as Grown Ups, he played himself.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that O’Neal was one of the best players in NBA history. But he continued to expand on that success and never grew complacent. As a result, he made sure to make his mother proud, as everyone now knows his name.
