Shaquille O’Neal has had a storied career as an NBA superstar. Therefore, one would expect that his phone is always ringing with young stars calling him up for advice. However, during a 2017 interview with Deion Sanders on the NFL Network, the Big Diesel revealed that it is actually quite the opposite. In fact, he prefers to stay out of young stars’ way as much as possible.
Advertisement
One of the things that Shaq does not understand about today’s generation is the egregious amounts of money they make. Hailing from a humble background, it took a lot of hard work on his end for Shaq to earn the big bucks. Even then, the Big Man didn’t come close to earning what players are earning today.
One player, that has particularly annoyed O’Neal is Rudy Gobert, whose $205,000,000 contract has been the subject of many of Shaq’s lampoons. With that in mind, it makes sense why Shaq would prefer to stay out of the way of young players because his Rudy Gobert criticism has earned him a lot of backlash.
Shaquille O’Neal does not like getting involved with young NBA stars
Deion Sanders and Shaquille O’Neal are two of the most experienced athletes in the country. Having made waves both on and off the field/court, their experience is invaluable. As a result, one would assume that youngsters hoping to make it big in sports would be rushing to them for advice.
In 2017, Sanders asked Shaq this very same question. Taking into account his vast experience, Prime Time asked Shaq if he ever picked up the phone and dished out some advice to a young player. Shaq’s response was one that not many would expect.
The four-time NBA Champion revealed that he doesn’t really like interacting with young stars. Citing the enormous amounts of money they make, Shaq revealed that he tries not to get in their way. He is of the mindset that young players will only succeed if they make their own mistakes. But if they stray too far off the right path, he will be there to correct them. During the interview, Shaq told Sanders:
“I try not to be in their way. You know before you succeed, you must first learn to fail, and everybody runs their brand, their corporation their way. If a guy is going too far left, I may make a suggestion. But, you know these guys are making so much money, so I just try to stay out of their way. Because I had to figure it out myself.”
Unlike some other retired NBA superstars, Shaq has refused to take anyone under his wing. The likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan, are all great examples of ex-players who tried to help up-and-coming superstars. However, Shaq has been quite the opposite in his approach, wanting players to find their own path.
Shaq does train some young players, but they happen to be his own sons
Shaquille O’Neal may not be keen on working with young stars, but he does make exceptions here and there. These exceptions happen to be his own kids. Both Shareef and Shaqir learned their craft under their father’s tutelage. And it’s thanks to him that they are moving toward a professional career.
Shaqir O’Neal, in particular, has personally asked his father to make him a good player. So, the Big Aristotle agreed to train him, but made it clear that if Shaqir wants to be great, he has to follow everything he says.
Currently, both Shareef and Shaqir are inching toward the NBA. They certainly aren’t generational talents like their father. But that being said, they should still have solid professional careers.
