“Shaquille O’Neal Thought I Hated Him”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Confesses He ‘Willingly’ Ignored 3x Lakers Champion

Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly one of the greatest centers of all time. However, there was a time when the Big Aristotle lacked discipline and patience, with many questioning his future in the league. Shaq was desperate for mentorship, and at one point looked to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Unfortunately, at the time, Kareem had no interest in guiding him. Ultimately leading Shaq to come to the conclusion that one of his idols hated him. In reality, it was quite the opposite, and all a part of the former’s master plan.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once purposely ignored a young Shaquille O’Neal

In every young NBA superstar’s career, there comes a time when they look to their elders for advice and guidance. However, in the case of Shaquille O’Neal, things didn’t go as initially planned.

Back in his days with the Orlando Magic, Shaq was fresh off his humiliating defeat to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals. It was then that he decided to approach Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for advice. Unfortunately for the Big Aristotle, Kareem wasn’t too eager to share his knowledge.

This inevitably led to the former MVP assuming that one of the greatest players in NBA history hated him. But, this was far from the truth. As revealed in an interview, Abdul-Jabbar was just waiting for O’Neal to reach his full potential before supporting him.

“He used to think I hated him. That was never the case. I was waiting for him to reach his potential before I could support him… It was time for him to learn & get serious. Once he did that, he’s a Hall of Famer.”@NBAalumni Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on relationship with Shaq 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/y2y5LVXESW

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 2, 2023

Safe to say things worked out at the end of the day. Despite being starved of mentorship, Shaq went on to find great success and now stands alongside one of his idols in the Hall of Fame.

Shaq believes that he can be a great mentor for up-and-coming NBA superstars

Shaquille O’Neal was certainly deprived of guidance as a young superstar. But, that does not mean he is looking to emulate his elders. Shaq revealed on The Big Podcast, that he sees himself as a great mentor who can help players get to the next level. He even reminded fans and players alike of the stars that he has had the pleasure of playing with.

“I’ve helped mentor. I can help you get to that next level. You forgot I played with Penny? You forgot I play with Kobe? You forgot I played with D Wade? Ask them about me.”

There is some truth to what Big Diesel is saying. And who knows? Perhaps there are a few players in the league that could gain from his teachings.

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