Apparently, NBA legend and Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal never had to go through the dreaded rookie hazing.
During his rookie season with the Orlando Magic, Shaq was asked by Scott Skiles to carry his bags as part of his rookie hazing in the NBA.
However, O'Neal — who was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1992 draft — told Skiles he didn't have to partake in rookie hazing since he was the franchise player, as he told NBA on TNT on Saturday.
“I don’t do that. I’m the franchise player.” 🤣@SHAQ never had rookie duties like Chuck. pic.twitter.com/Uv02RHpQNF
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 22, 2020
Shaquille O'Neal won the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game and was a monster at 20 years old.




The Magic, though, won only 41 games and missed the playoffs.
O'Neal had a stellar four-year run with the Magic before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1996. If The Diesel and Penny Hardaway had stayed together in Orlando, it's possible the Magic could have won an NBA title. They got to the 1995 Finals but got swept by the Houston Rockets.
Shaq wound up winning three rings with the Lakers and three Finals MVPs. He also won a championship with the Miami Heat. O'Neal finished his NBA career with averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
Rookie hazing is part of the NBA. However, O'Neal wasn't your average rookie, so it's not that surprising to hear Magic players didn't haze The Big Aristotle after he declared himself the franchise player.