Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant big men to ever play in the NBA but outside the basketball court, he is a complete opposite.
Being an NBA superstar has a lot of perks. Aside from sporting fame, some even become movie and TV stars. Among them was former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal.
As a professional basketball player, “Shaq” enjoyed an illustrious 18-year career. He’s an NBA Hall of Famer, four-time champion and 15-time All-Star. However, only few are aware of who he is beyond sports.
After officially retiring in 2011, O’Neal has embarked on a variety of business ventures and has made even more money than when he was still playing.
But apart from being a shrewd businessman, O’Neal is also known for helping others and his random acts of kindness.
For one, O’Neal once paid for a stranger’s engagement ring. But more recently, he surprised one of his favorite Atlanta restaurants “Restaurant 10” by handing it out $35k Employee Relief Fund.
What’s even more interesting, O’Neal isn’t doing any of these for publicity or fame. In fact, he even expressed his hatred on being tagged as a “celebrity” and denounced his celebrity status.
“These celebrities are going freaking crazy and I don’t want to be one. I denounce my celebrity-ness today. I’m done with it,” O’Neal recently told The New York Post, while discussing his new campaign with Kellogg’s. “I don’t want to be in that category. Celebrities are crazy, they really are. Don’t call me that anymore. These people are out of their freaking mind with how they treat people, what they do, what they say. That’s never been me. I never want to be looked at like that.”
“Everyone probably gets stereotyped, but us celebrities, we get stereotyped because most of these celebrities are out of their mind,” he continued. “I don’t do that. I’m a regular person that listened, followed his dreams and made it.”
Further stressing his belief, O’Neal pointed out that despite his success, he remains humble and will “never” change his ways no matter what.
“I came from nothing,” the 49-year-old emphasized. “But, just because I made it doesn’t mean I’m bigger than you, smarter than you — just because I have more money doesn’t mean I’m better than you. I’ve never been that way and I never will be that way. So I don’t want to be in that category of people.”
“When they talk about Shaq, what do you say? ‘He’s a nice guy’,” he continued. “Because what else can you be? You’re either nice or you’re the A-word, and I definitely won’t be looked at as the A-word. I want people to say, ‘Bro, he’s nice. He didn’t have an entourage. His people didn’t take my phone because I took a picture and threw it'.”
Through his wit and outspoken personality, O’Neal is now one of the most celebrated sports analysts and TV hosts there is.
Unsurprisingly, “Diesel” still keeps it low-key and he’s not shied away from urging modern-day NBA stars, particularly Ben Simmons to do the same.
“If you want to get to that next level, you have to be great,” O’Neal said of Simmons on The Big Podcast with Shaq. “And to be great, you have to work on your game.”
“Don’t be putting pictures on your Instagram of your Ferrari or what actress you’re hanging around with,” he stressed. “When you play for a town like Philadelphia, Boston, L.A., Miami—a hard-working town—they don’t give a s— about none of that. They want you to come, work hard and play hard.”
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