In a recent appearance on ‘The Old Man & The Three’ Shaquille O’Neal revealed why he became the biggest enemy of his teammate’s families. Apparently, according to Shaq, he had a no-fly rule when it came to women and children on the plane and he enforced it in full authority when he first arrived to play for the Heat.
“When I go to an organization, I don’t give a f— who there, I’m in charge,” O’Neal said. “Like for example, when I first got to Miami, wives could travel on a plane. No, the f*ck they cannot. No, they’re not. This sh*t is done with. No wife, no kids on the plane ever. Unless we make it to the Finals, and then they can come to Games 3, 4, 5, and 6. All the wives hated me, but that’s okay. You’re not traveling. I’m in charge now.”
As one of the greatest big men in NBA history, Shaq’s thirst for dominance manifested in more ways than on the basketball court. All throughout his career, whether it was on the Magic, Lakers, or Miami Heat, O’Neal was the alpha dog and he carried himself like one.
When O’Neal joined the Heat in 2004, with his best days already behind him, he made his presence felt right away and he took control of the locker room with an iron grip.
Nobody knows for sure why Shaq banned women and children from traveling on the plane for games but one can only imagine that he wanted his teammates to avoid all potential distractions in order to lock-in to the mission at hand.
Whatever the case, Shaq was not afraid to lay down the law and set a certain standard for his teammates that he felt was the best suited for success. As a 4x champion, 15x All-Star, NBA MVP, and 2x scoring leader, it’s hard to argue with the results but it’s no secret that O’Neal’s tactics are considered questionable, at best.
Shaquille O’Neal Was A Wild Teammate
While “the Diesel” is most known for his powerful dunks and unstoppable game, he is also somewhat infamous for his antics as a teammate. Besides his well-documented rivalry with Kobe Bryant, O’Neal has a history of antagonizing those within his own locker room.
As a lifelong jokester/prankster, Shaq often likes to have fun at his teammates’ expense and his tricks have become notorious for being cruel and gross. In perhaps his most cruel act of all, he used to douse rookies in a bucket of his own urine as a nightmarish “rite of passage.” He also apparently peed in the shoes of one of his teammates on the Suns.
Back in 2023, he admitted to regularly tackling a Cavaliers trainer as a “prank” during practices throughout the season. He also ruthlessly got his teammate traded after he demanded $50,000 for the ’33’ jersey number.
For a guy as great and dominant as Shaquille O’Neal, it makes sense that his personality is just as big. And while his presence was too much for some to handle, those who stuck around were rewarded with success beyond their wild dreams. In the end, Shaq had control because he earned it, and he was one of the few superstars who wasn’t afraid to exercise his full authority in any situation.
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