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Retirement can take its toll on world-class athletes. Just ask NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaq hung up his sneakers following the 2011-12 NBA season with the Boston Celtics. He played 20 seasons in the NBA and earned 15 NBA All-Star selections and four championship rings.
Nevertheless, Shaquille O'Neal's admitted he felt miserable after he retired from the NBA, per USA TODAY's Victoria Hernandez. His weight also ballooned to more than 400 pounds after retiring.
“From age 12 to 40, one day, two days a week, you get an hour, ‘Yeah,' ‘Woo' to get out, so I was used to that,” Shaquille O'Neal said.
“So when it stopped, it kind of took me to a state I'd never been to before. I don't like to use the D-word (depression), because I know there's a lot of people that are really D'ed, but I was in a funk,” Shaq confessed.
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Shaquille O'Neal received the occasional applause at restaurants in the aftermath of his retirement from the NBA. However, the temporary adrenaline rush just wasn't enough.
Fortunately, Shaq's passion for music never waned. The Big Diesel released several rap albums such as “Shaq Diesel,” “Shaq Fu: Da Return,” and “You Can't Stop the Reign” in the 1990s.
NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal rekindled that passion when he attended the now-defunct TomorrowWorld music festival nine years ago. Shaq has been deejaying in front of thousands of fans ever since. His hobby has given him a new lease on life.
“Deejaying is similar to basketball. You gotta put on a show. If people pay money to see you perform, you have to put on a show,” Shaq said.
Shaquille O'Neal's basketball-related endeavors have also kept him busy. He's an analyst of “Inside the NBA.” Not only that, but Shaq also became Reebok's president of basketball on October 12.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has put his retirement woes behind him thanks to the two things close to his heart: basketball and music.
