LSU legend Shaquille O’Neal revealed how attending a football game and meeting some girls changed his college preference
Advertisement
Shaquille O’Neal is a force of nature. The 7’1″ big is gigantic, in his size and personality. There is this aura to O’Neal that reeks of authority.
Even in moments where Shaq is deep in his goofy character, there is never a second when he looks or feels timid. So naturally, The Big Aristotle makes his own decisions. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. For O’Neal, it’s simply about the will.
In the senior year of high school, the Lakers legend was one of the top-ranked prospects in high school. Going into college, he had ample options. Shaq weighed his options carefully and observed everything.
When he went to NC State for a visit, Shaq went out with a university player. The two went around looking for women but nothing materialized for them. O’Neal explicitly wrote about this instance in his book.
Needless to say, it left quite an impact on him. Also, the fact NC State had its own star in Charles Shackleford did not sit too well with Shaquille O’Neal. Even in high school, he wanted to remain the biggest star on any team. And, he expected more interaction with women.
Also read: A Luka Doncic LeBron James Team up is on the Cards, as per Brian “LeBron Whisperer” Windhorst
Shaquille O’Neal joined LSU after attending a football game
In his book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal revealed why he chose LSU over all others. And surprisingly, it wasn’t for Coach Brown.
O’Neal: “The one mistake the other four schools made was they didn’t take me to a football game. Coach Brown had one of his LSU players, Vernel Singleton, take me. I’m sitting in this big football stadium with all the people and the noise and the lights, and then all of a sudden the lights go off and they put a spotlight on me. The PA announcer starts shouting, “Say hello to the number one high school player Shaquille O’Neal! Make some noise if you want him to come here next year!”
He continued: “The crowd starts going crazy. I’m sitting in the stands and there’s about twenty thousand people just going wild and I’m thinking, Damn, these people know me! So I start looking around and I’m seeing some of the baddest girls I’ve ever seen and they’re waving at me. I say to one of them, “So if I come here you and I are going to be friends, right?” She winks at me, blows me a kiss, and says, “Definitely.””
O’Neal remained the same throughout his life. He loved women and women loved him. This inescapable cycle of mutual admiration caused Shaq to cheat on multiple occasions.
In the same book, Shaquille O’Neal acknowledged cheating on his ex-wife Shaunie on multiple occasions.
“At one time my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy. But I admit it — I was a guy. I was a guy with too many options. Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me. In my mind, I never did it disrespectfully, but obviously I shouldn’t have done it all.”
The two divorced in 2009 after was caught cheating with Gilbert Arenas’ wife.
Also read: “Holy F**k, I Left College For $75,000”: Charles Barkley Hilariously Recalls Conversation with Agent
