“Once I stopped caring, phew, took 3 rings in a row, movies, businesses, and that’s how I live my life today” - Shaquille O'Neal says he used to break up stuff at home because of criticism early in his career
Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most dominant NBA superstars to step on a court, revolutionized how the center position was viewed. Shaq had the rare combination of power and athleticism that made him a nightmare for opposing defenses.
It didn't take long for O'Neal to assert his dominance. With the Orlando Magic, O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as the Rookie of the Year. Regardless of how dominant a superstar is, he can find plenty of skeptics among the media and fans. Even after continuing his dominance, there were some that weren't sold on O'Neal's ability.
On "The Big Podcast," O'Neal talked about how he dealt with the criticism and doubts of fans and analysts. The legendary big man spoke about how spending time with a therapist allowed him to block out the outside noise and let his career take off.
"I'm talking to my nuclear therapist guy named Bert," O'Neal said. "He made it very simple for me, because my thing was criticism. Like, 'Shaq's a great player.'
"Like, I always used to hate seeing the word, but ... oh yeah, 'Shaq's one of the greatest Laker ever, but ... oh, the reason why he didn't win MVP over Steve Nash, he could have, but' ... so that would drive me crazy. Crazy enough to the point where I would go to my house and just break stuff up because I wanted to be great.
"So, we had a conversation, and this conversation, he told me to stop reading stuff and stop caring, and once I did that, he made me watch a movie called 'The Fan.' First day, like, he said, 'What makes you mad?' I hate when these people, I'm doing his and I'm doing that and he just asked me to say 'Why do you care?' Like, what do you mean why do I care?
"And then, we kind of got going back and forth. ... Once I stopped caring, phew, took off – three rings in a row, movies, businesses. And that's how I live my life today."
Shaquille O'Neal talks about what made his NBA career blossom
Shaquille O'Neal said he was so upset by some of the "doubters" that he would break things around his house. Although the legendary big man was known for being a charismatic personality, O'Neal was also extremely competitive.
While the Hall of Fame center showcased his dominance with the Orlando Magic, it wasn't until his days with the LA Lakers that Shaq won a championship. He won four titles during his career and was a 14-time All-NBA recipient.
youtu.be/MpdrKpgxILM20 years ago today: Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal had 40 PTS (14-23 FG/12-14 FT), 12 REB & 8 AST in the Lakers' 106-83 win over the New Jersey Nets in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
June 7, 2002.
📼 youtu.be/MpdrKpgxILM https://t.co/Iw571VPx0f
For one of the most dominant big men to ever play the game, it's shocking to see that O'Neal was bothered by so many doubters. Looking back at Shaq's career, it's remarkable to realize just how great the legendary big man was.