When Dale Brown Mistook 13-year-Old Shaq For A Soldier Before He Became A Lakers Legend
There is a happy story about how Shaq came to train with LSU head coach Dale Brown. The three-time Finals MVP and Lakers icon has discussed their initial encounter in various interviews.
“When I first met Dale Brown at a basketball camp in West Germany, I didn’t know anything about Louisiana State. People ask me why I chose LSU, and this is the reason why I chose LSU.”
“From 0 to 12, I was a horrible basketball player. I was told many times ‘You won’t amount to anything. At best, you’ll be in the military like your father.'”
“So one day I was in the house, my father came, punched me in the chest and said ‘Some guy named Dale Brown is speaking at the gym. Maybe you can get a scholarship’. In his mind I wasn’t really that good.”
“So I met Dale Brown and I asked him ‘Could you send me some exercise for my lower extremities?’ He gave me this look and he’s like ‘Yeah soldier, how long have you been in the Army?'”
“I was a shy kid at the time. I’m like, I’m not in the Army sir, I’m only 13. And Dale Brown went crazy. So Dale Brown sent me a letter every week. I went out to walk half a mile to get the mail, and I’d always see the letter from LSU.”
“So I got back to the States and developed as player in San Antonio. Now every college in America wanted me! But I owed it to coach Brown because he believed in me. So I went to LSU.”