NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest players in history. “The Diesel” had a notable career and currently he is a sports analyst on the NBA’s TNT program. Shaq is a four-time NBA champion and there are several things that basketball enthusiasts don’t know about. In this article, we will have a look at some interesting and unknown facts about the “Big Shamrock”.
#10 Shaq’s father was a drug addict
His father’s name was Joseph Toney, who was a good basketball player but addicted to drugs. He went to jail when Shaq was very young, which resulted in a strained father-son relationship. When Shaq became a known and popular player, his father tried reaching out to him, but Shaq didn’t want to meet him. In fact, O’Neal released a rap song in 1994 “Biological Didn’t Bother”, and expressed appreciation for his stepfather, Philip Harrison, while stating that his biological father didn’t even care for his mom and him. It was in 2016 that Shaq finally agreed to meet his biological father.
#9 He hated the smell of Alcohol
There was a time when Shaq used to hate the smell of alcohol. He could not even stand the smell of table wine. There was a reason behind this. Shaq once revealed that when he was 13, his father caught him sipping beer with his cousins. His father made him drink 12 packs of beer right then. After this, O’Neal not only hated drinking alcohol but its smell too, and he didn’t get the urge to drink for a long time.
#8 He was already 6’4 at age 10
At the young age of 10, Shaq stood 6 feet and 4 inches tall. He caused fear among several new basketball prospects to quit youth basketball in greater Newark in the mid-80s. Shaq once revealed that he remembers an opponent’s father storming the court and removing his son from the contest in the middle of a game, claiming that Shaq was not 10 years old. At the age of 13, he was 6’6 and wore size 17 shoes.
#7 Shaq was a studious kid
Shaq was very studious and always took his studies seriously. During his time in college, he was really focused and performed well in academics. Shaq scored the highest grade point average on his first-year team. When he was called up to play in the NBA in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, he left college but managed to complete his studies and earn a Bachelor’s degree. Later, he earned a doctoral degree at the end of his playing career.
#6 Story behind his jersey number
Harrison was responsible for Shaq embracing his size rather than retreating from his physical advantages and using it to score in the basket. Harrison was posted back to San Antonio when O’Neal was a teenager. He played basketball and led his high school team to a 68–1 record during his junior and senior seasons. The school didn’t have jersey number 33, so Shaq’s efforts to honor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were hampered, which resulted in his famous No. 32 jersey.
#5 Shaq has a platinum album
Like most players, Shaq also has a big love for hip-hop music. He is a talented rapper and released four albums right before winning the NBA Championship. His debut album, “Shaq Diesel,” sold one million copies and achieved US Platinum status. After this, Shaq has released many great songs and albums and he can definitely call himself a rap star.
#4 Named Player of the Week in his debut week
Shaq’s notable performances led to him being named Player of the Week during his week of playing in the NBA. He is the first player to win this award in the first week of a player’s NBA career. He was an exceptional player during his time but still made only one three-pointer in his entire career. Three-pointers are common these days, but it wasn’t that time.
#3 Shaq was left out of the U.S Olympic team
Shaq wasn’t surprised when the U.S. team for the Olympics was chosen and he was left out. While selecting the best player to represent Team USA in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, “The Diesel” was a junior at LSU at the time and was fully qualified. However, the spot was taken away by Christian Laettner, who was thought of as more polished. He was not happy but team USA won the gold in 92 and they did it again in Atlanta during the 96 games, when Shaq was part of the team.
#2 Has a stake in E-sports
Shaq was an investor in e-Sports in 2016 with Yankees vet Alex Rodriguez and former Phillie Jimmy Rollins. They all joined an ownership group that has a stake in NRG Gaming, a major organization of esports athletes. Shaq is the general manager of Kings Guard, where competitors go head-to-head in NBA 2K, the league’s premier basketball video game.
#1 Initially Kobe and Shaq could not coordinate well
O’Neal spent nearly eight seasons with the Lakers and won three championships with them. Very few know that he and his teammate Kobe Bryant could not coordinate their game properly from the beginning. As a result, their mutual hostility and struggle for credit and control of the locker room started. The team’s turnaround occurred when coach Phil Jackson arrived prior to the 1999-2000 season.
Also Read:- Interesting Facts about the Lakers’ star LeBron James
