How many movies has Shaquille O’Neal featured in so far? Taking a closer look at NBA legend's Hollywood career
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal showcased tremendous talent during his 19-season career. His dominance and physicality gained him worldwide popularity. O’Neal became a fan favorite during his rookie season with the Orlando Magic. He subsequently cemented that status in his time with the LA Lakers. His dominant play led the Lakers to three straight titles.
While Shaquille O’Neal rose to stardom in the NBA, he also started making in-roads in Hollywood. Although he acted in his first two movies when he was in Orlando, moving to Los Angeles helped him make more big-screen appearances. O’Neal been in several films, including three voice contributions.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Hollywood career
Shaquille O’Neal began his Hollywood career in 1993, at 21 years old, in a comedy starring Chris Rock. O’Neal made a cameo appearance.
He followed it up as the lead in the 1994 film "Blue Chips." Blue Chips was a sports drama film. O’Neal played himself alongside Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and many other basketball players, including Larry Bird. In 1996, O’Neal would get the lead role again, playing a genie in the movie "Kazaam."
Kazaam was released 23 years ago today.
It was just one of @SHAQ's major roles in a movie 🎬 https://t.co/IlIij9YWpn
Before becoming an NBA champion, O’Neal had featured in seven movies, including Spike Lee's "He Got Game."
Shaquille O’Neal discussed some of his early movies with Spice Adams on “The Big Podcast with Shaq”. Adams asked Shaq to start, bench, and cut between "Blue Chips," "Steel" (a superhero movie) and "Kazaam." Shaq decided to start "Blue Chips," bench "Steel" and cut "Kazaam." Adams’ reaction was hilarious.
“I’ll start Blue Chips, I cut Kazaam and I cut Steel," Adams said.
O’Neal agreed to act in some movies he wouldn’t have in hindsight. However, his acting got better with time. Shaq’s personality helped him get roles in Adam Sandler's films, including "Grown Ups 2," "Hubie Halloween" and most recently "Hustle" – the story of Juancho Hernangomez.
O’Neal has also made voice contributions in animated movies. His credits include "The Smurfs 2," "Show Dogs" and "The Lego Movie." It is safe to say that O’Neal has made his mark on Hollywood.