When Shaquille O'Neal responded to people who mistook him for Michael Jordan: “I’m way better than [him]”
LA Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal often told a family that he was a better player than Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the NBA’s greatest of all time.
He entered into a $11 million deal with the pizza franchise Papa John's in April 2022. While the incident’s date is unknown, it made for a hilarious story for everybody involved. During a casual stroll in a neighborhood, Shaq bumped into a family that evidently doesn't follow the NBA.
The kids, surprised by O'Neal's massive appearance, asked if he was Michael Jordan. Shaq jokingly replied that he was "way better" than Jordan simply because he was giving away free boxes of pizza. Shaquille O'Neal had a simple message for the kids:
"You know my name now? It's Shaq O'Neal, I'm way better than Michael Jordan. You got it? 'Cause I'm handing out free pizza. Okay?... I'm better than Michael Jordan.”
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Stephen Curry always made sure to get their teams back on track after a loss or two 😤 https://t.co/lqhOonUBdb
As is apparent, Shaquille O'Neal was only joking during the video.
Shaquille O'Neal makes it a point to give back to society
Apart from having his own charity foundation focused on children in Atlanta and Las Vegas, the NBA legend has been involved in a number of other initiatives. Shaquille O'Neal once explained exactly why he focuses on the two cities:
“Because I live in Atlanta and Las Vegas. I can personally show up at any time. I like to live amongst the people. I'm the one that does a carnival every October, like a Halloween party, where 15,000 kids show up.”
With an overall net worth of $400 million, there is little doubt that O’Neal can help the next generation. He seems intent as well:
“This is the time to create something to build a brighter future for children and motivate helping kids. Our mission is just to help underserved youth by providing them with resources, and opportunities. You know, a lot of people, especially our kids, our children, don't have that. These kids need somebody to look up to. They need stuff to do. And we want to provide that.”
The Big Diesel is officially The Big Generous now ... 'cause Shaquille O'Neal just raised $2 MILLION for charity -- all by selling some unique NFTs of himself. tmz.me/PQ3L6eH
While Shaquille O’Neal might not be as great a player as Michael Jordan, he was still one of the best. Additionally, just like the Chicago Bulls legend, Shaq is intent on helping the needy as well, and deserves praise for the range of initiatives he has been involved in. O’Neal has been a long-term resident of Atlanta and Las Vegas, and has made it a point to focus on these two areas in particular.