Shaquille O’Neal, Who Said He Doesn’t Drink, Once Went Back on His Word and Claimed He Doesn’t Indulge in Public

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most complex, yet entertaining and delightful personalities that have played in the NBA.  

Since his retirement, ‘Shaq’ has become an avid influencer. The former NBA ‘MVP’ has a foothold in several domains of the entertainment sphere. He is a DJ, an actor, a comic, and so on and so forth. 

His presence has always made for an alluring and captivating experience on the occasions he makes an appearance. In an episode of ‘Drinkchamps‘, O’Neal divulged why he doesn’t consume alcohol publicly anymore. 

‘Diesel’ stated- 

“I do drink, but not in public because I can’t do nothing to jeopardize my mother’s empire..so If I’m at the house I’ll drink, but I’m not going to drink at a restaurant and jump in a car and then..cos my father always used to tell me, if you mess the money up, your mama ain’t going to have no house, if you mess the money up, your mama ain’t going to eat.“ 

Also read: Shaquille O’Neal Once Offered His Son Shaqir $5000 If He Scored 25 points 

Shaquille O’Neal and his relationship with alcohol 

As a practicing Muslim, the religion forbids you from consuming alcohol. However, O’Neal has admitted that he does indulge in the product from time to time. 

With that being said, ‘Shaq’ initially developed a disdain for liquor when his father caught him stealing a sip of beer from a can at the meager age of 13. In order to ensure O’Neal learned a lesson, his dad forced him to finish the entire six-pack. Safe to say, lesson learned.

The NBA ‘Hall of Famer’ went on to admit that the specific moment left a sour taste in his mouth, and the four-time NBA champion’s hatred for beer and all alcoholic products sustained for a while. 

Also read: Is Shaquille O’Neal Among NBA Players Who Are Jehovah’s Witnesses? 

Shaquille O’Neal’s character! 

Shaquille O’Neal for all his success has himself owed up to a lot of derogatory and diminishing traits he possessed over his 18-year NBA career. 

As the years have passed fans have laid witness to the growth and maturing of O’Neal as a person. The four-time NBA champion, known for his ruthless aggression and temperament during his NBA tenure, has molded into a soft, generous, and good-natured character. 

However, the fact that ‘Shaq’ has accounted for his errors, and has since changed into the man he is today, who emphasizes being a generous, and kind-hearted soul, is a testament to his remarkable character. 

A profound example and influence on the younger generations are what the objective has been so far, and he has smashed it out of the park.