"That just motivated me"- Shaquille O'Neal used Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's snub as motivation
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't impressed with Shaquille O'Neal during his first few years with the LA Lakers. Shaq was a force to be reckoned with during the mid-90s. He was one the greatest centers in NBA history. While everybody believed that O'Neal is one of the greatest players to ever play for the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar thought otherwise.
Shaquille O'Neal opened up about the time when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't care about him. O'Neal revealed that the Laker legend wouldn't acknowledge him, smile at him or even make eye contact. It was a disheartening situation, but Shaq took it as a source of motivation.
Speaking on TNT, Shaq said that Kareem had said this about him:
"'Shaq is one of the greatest Lakers ever. Well if he's so great, how come they keep getting in trouble in the playoffs?'"
Upon hearing these words from Kareem, Shaq revealed how he decided to react:
"You can't respond to that. I'm not a sensitive guy, but he would never look at me, never talk to me, thought he didn't like me. 'Okay you not gonna talk to me? Watch this.'"
Shaq then told Kareem in person:
"The fact that you wouldn't look at me, you wouldn't talk to me, that just motivated me."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's tough love for Shaquille O'Neal
It appears that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's snubbing of Shaquille O'Neal was his way of sparking a fire in the "Big Diesel". Fortunately, Shaq himself took it as motivation, which made Kareem's plans a success.
According to the legend himself, he wasn't seeing enough dominance from the "Big Diesel" which is why he didn't want to acknowledge him in the beginning.
While Shaq continuously proved why he was the most powerful center in the NBA at the time, Kareem only wanted to see him bring success to the LA Lakers. O'Neal's individuality didn't matter to Abdul-Jabbar if it meant that the Lakers would still end up losing.
When Shaquille O'Neal started picking up the pace, Kareem Abdul-Jabar also began smiling on the sidelines with the rest of the Lakers fans. Kareem was genuinely ecstatic to see Shaq finally evolve into the big man he always wanted to see him be. O'Neal went on to win three championships with LA and solidified his status as one of the greatest Lakers of all time.