Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly one of the most dominant athletes, let alone basketball players, of all time. He is a highly decorated player, as well as one of the most respected and, at times, hated players in basketball history.
He had some controversial moments in his career and he also faced a lot of adversity.
Shaq’s ubiquity
As a basketball analyst, he has been very outspoken about NBA issues and not afraid to criticize star players, but overall he has made tremendous contributions to the sport of basketball. -ball as a whole.
Shaq has seen it all in the NBA, and while he has many legendary stories, the things that often stand out about Shaq during and after his pro days are his comedic actions and goofy antics in and out of the locker room.
There are tons of things Shaq has done, but the most recent reveal is a rather unsanitary and disgusting alleged story about Shaq being Shaq.
THE DIESEL IS IN THE BUILDING. @SHAQ pic.twitter.com/5jQUj0cDEj
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) February 27, 2022
Gary stays real
Gary Payton recently dropped a bombshell on his former Miami Heat teammate in an interview with VladTV.
“Shaq is a prankster, so if one of the rookies was in a cubicle, he would grab a bucket and use the bathroom for about a week, and then all of a sudden he would pour it over it,” Payton said.
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Although Shaq got into some players in the league, he certainly got a lot more laughs with his personality, the way he carried himself, and some of the things he did that got laughs and attention.
“I told Kobe today that he is my idol…I think he is by far the best player in the league.”
– Shaq during the 2001 NBA Playoffs pic.twitter.com/aY2dDPi4LQ
— Kobe Highlights and Motivation (@kobehighlight) February 25, 2022
Shaqtin a fool
Initially, one could tell by the plethora of nicknames that Shaquille has that he was a pleasant and cheerful person for the most part. Among his funniest nicknames are “Shaq Fu” and “Shaq Daddy”.
One of the most notable segments Shaq has on TNT is called “Shaqtin a Fool”, where he takes some of the dumbest parts and ranks them based on how ridiculous they are.
If anyone had the right to clown around NBA players for their moments of madness and failure, it’s Shaq.
This segment has bordered on being disrespectful before (see the JaVale McGee case as an example), and certainly upset some players at Shaq because they were on the list.
Shaq’s mom punished him for clowning around Javale McGee
Shaq faux pas?
But that’s all Shaq is, being a funny, entertaining person and clowning around when they make stupid mistakes. As innocuous as it may be, people don’t want to be on a list of how silly their game has been at some point.
Some of the pranks and stunts he pulled are stories that will be told for centuries. According to Phil Jackson, Shaq once showed up to train naked. “Shocked us all in a practice situation, especially when he showed up naked with just his shoes on,” Jackson said.
Rick Fox and Derek Fisher also supported this story
“He would start running around looking for guys to hug,” Derek Fisher told The Sports Rush. “That’s why when I hit that shot in San Antonio, we were so good at sprinting off the court,” Derek Fisher said. Shaq even admitted that his favorite Miami memory was fighting a former teammate while naked in the shower.
2004-05 may have been Shaq’s last truly dominant season.
22.9PPG
10.4 Role play
2.3 BPG🏆 All NBA 1st team
🏆 2nd in MVP voting
🏆 Led Heat to 59-23 Record in first season in Miami. pic.twitter.com/TDebzmC9Nr— Vintage NBA (@vintagenba_) February 27, 2022
Shaq’s underwear?
In that same interview, it is also noted that somehow Gary Payton got his hands on Shaq’s underwear and hid it from Shaq for pranks and pranks.
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Shaq is a basketball icon, and due to his antics and demeanor, he will always be remembered as a fun-loving player and teammate. It’s ironic how fun and playful such a tall and dominant player can be in men’s sports, and it only goes to show how human these people are off the pitch.
Shaq is the embodiment of that, and no one pushed him too hard because they knew what he was capable of.
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