"I really love to fight" - Shaquille O'Neal once named four NBA players he would fight alongside against five MMA fighters in a cage match

Shaquille O’Neal was once asked to pick four NBA players to face off against five MMA fighters in a cage match. The NBA legend had some interesting choices.

Shaquille O’Neal has been a part of several on-court brawls. Off the court, however, he never let himself get into trouble. O’Neal’s secret is his ability to halt time if things appear to be going wrong.

A guy one time, he pushed me. So now I stop time. There’s four guys in the bar, that’s four witnesses. The camera’s right there; that’s another witness. The guy’s drunk; I could probably beat him up and get away with it. So now, if I can stop time, there’s nobody there, and there’s no camera there, and the bar guy is a friend of mine like Rex (Chapman), I’m gonna knock this guy’s fuc*ing head off. – Shaq on The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins.

Shaq stayed out of it because he didn’t want to be wrongly accused of being the one who started it, and he didn’t want to damage the inebriated person. He didn’t want his family, himself, the bar, or the instigator associated with such a scandal. Despite being a 7’1″ behemoth with MMA experience and the desire to engage in a brawl or two, he maintained the same critical thinking throughout his life.

I really love to fight, that’s the crazy thing, but I always say to myself, ‘I don’t want my mom sitting on the couch seeing me at a bar fight.’ And then, let’s go street terms. I’m not really familiar with this bar; this dude could have a strap, so I don’t wanna fight, and a lot of times, I’m able to stop time. – Shaq on The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins.

Shaquille O’Neal talks about Fighting in the NBA

The NBA, on the other hand, was a very different thing. When it came to using his ability to halt time, Shaq was considerably more selective, relying on NBA arenas to feed his urge for fighting, taking advantage of the league’s more permissive throwing hands regulation than it is today. As a result, O’Neal fought Brad Miller, Alvin Robertson, Andrew Bynum, and, most notably, Charles Barkley physically.

However, none of those guys impressed Shaq with their fighting skills. Because when it came to choosing five other NBA players to fight beside him in a case against five of the best MMA fighters of all time, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t pick any of the four.

One I’m taking LJ, Larry Johnson. I’m taking Xavier McDaniel, I’m taking Charles Oakley, I’m taking Gary Trent, and I’m taking Ruben Patterson. – Shaq on The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins.