"My father dragged me to the game"- Shaquille O'Neal switched from football to basketball after learning Hawks star makes $5 million
Shaquille O'Neal recently made a guest appearance on the 'I AM ATHLETE' podcast to talk about his basketball career.
Like many athletes before him, basketball wasn't the only sport the "Big Diesel" played. Apparently, Shaq set his sights on football before pursuing an NBA career. It made sense at the time, especially given that he had an enormous body frame at such a young age.
However, that all changed when O'Neal's father convinced him to play basketball instead. During Shaq's younger years, his father invited him to watch an Atlanta Hawks game.
That's when he found out that NBA big man Jon Koncak was making $5 million a year. From that moment forward, O'Neal was sold on the idea of playing basketball for a living instead.
"I was football," Shaq shared. "Jon Koncak, he was making fifteen [million] for three [years] and my father dragged me into the game and I was like 'This mother f***er's making... I ain't the the smartest in the world, fifteen divided by three, I'm making five million? I can do that.' That's how I got in, that's how I started playing basketball."
Looking at Shaquille O'Neal's rookie season in the NBA
Back in the 1992 NBA Draft, Shaquille O'Neal became the first overall pick to be selected by the Orlando Magic. It appears that quitting football to play basketball turned out for the better as Shaq quickly became one of the league's most dominant forces in history. Looking at his rookie year alone, he was already bullying many veterans inside the paint, looking like a vet himself.
O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. He immediately established himself to be one of the league's best defenders and even continued to consistently dominate on defense in the years after.
Complimenting his defense was his unstoppable offense as well. "Big Diesel" could easily dunk over anyone, making it too easy for him to score. Having only missed one game that season, Shaq's consistently dominant performances helped him win rookie of the year.
From that point onward, it set the tone for what would be a legendary basketball career. Four NBA championships, three with the LA Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. He also cemented his legacy when was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame back in 2016.