When Shaquille O'Neal revealed his wish to visit Muslim pilgrimage 'Hajj' as he plans to travel to Turkey: "Yes, I'm gonna go to Hajj one day"
Shaquille O'Neal is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to play the game of basketball. Off the court, he is easily among the most popular players in NBA history.
While he is well-known for his legendary eight-year run with the LA Lakers, O'Neal spent his final season with the rival Boston Celtics. During that 2010-2011 season, the NBA Hall of Famer revealed his plans to make the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as 'Hajj' in Islamic terminology.
Initially, O'Neal was asked to pick the best center of all time. The four-time NBA champion stated:
"My fellow Muslim brother, Hakeem Olajuwon."
The interviewer then asked O'Neal if it was true that he would like to go to 'Hajj.' O'Neal verified this, stating:
"Yes, it's true, and I plan on going to Turkey with my brother Semih [Erden]."
O'Neal was once again asked about Hajj, to which he replied:
"Yes, I'm gonna go to Hajj one day."
Watch the full dialect between Shaquille O'Neal and the interviewer below (starting at the 1:20 mark):
O'Neal famously stated that he considers himself Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Baptist because he is simply a 'people's person.' It is unclear, however, if he has made the pilgrimage to Hajj.
Shaquille O'Neal received a scolding from his mother, which led to his Dwight Howard apology
It is no secret that Shaquille O'Neal has never been fond of Dwight Howard. The 1999-2000 NBA MVP recently targeted the three-time Defensive Player of the Year for dominating the competition overseas in Taiwan.
“This league reminds me of the Lifetime Fitness league”
@Shaq gave his thoughts on Dwight Howard dominating in Taiwan 💀
(via The Big Podcast) https://t.co/N2xctWCxML
Dwight Howard hit back, calling out O'Neal for disrespecting his teammates overseas, stating:
"Do not disrespect my teammates and this league and these people in Taiwan like that. That is highly disrespectful and it's hating. You're too old to be hating. You're too big to be hating."
Howard also called out O'Neal for targeting JaVale McGee, adding:
"You hated on JaVale McGee and almost cost him his whole career. For what? What are you hating JaVale McGee for? This man came way after you. He probably grew up wishing he could be like you."
Watch Dwight Howard's full response to Shaquille O'Neal below:
The back-and-forth between the two former LA Lakers centers led to Shaq receiving a scolding from his mother, Dr. Lucille O'Neal. O'Neal detailed the incident on The Big Podcast with Shaq, stating:
"I got scolded by my mom yesterday for messing with Dwight, so Mr. Dwight Howard, I owe you an apology, and I will never hurt your feelings again... Dwight, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."
Watch Shaquille O'Neal's apology to Dwight Howard below (starting at the 3:18 mark):
This isn't the first time that O'Neal has been scolded by his mother for his commentary, as he shared on Inside the NBA.
"You're going to see a new approach with me talking about these bums."
@SHAQ said he's going to start being nicer 😭
(via @NBAonTNT) https://t.co/XDbpgJxFZl