There is very little that Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t achieved in his life. Playing alongside Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers during his prime, Shaq dominated the NBA like only a handful of players ever have, winning 3 titles in a row before adding another alongside Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat. There are very few players in any sport that can match the success O’Neal saw in his career, but there are some that managed to surpass it as well.
The recent retirement of NFL legend Tom Brady has been a topic of major discussion since he made the announcement, with O’Neal himself commenting on the issue to try and get Brady to reconsider. Shaq clearly has great respect for Tom and while he never really has any reason to get jealous of anyone, the big man spoke about his slightly envy at the achievements legends like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan have managed (via EssentiallySports).
“At some point, you have to give it up, and also for guys like us, we want to be able to look at our book and say, ‘I have a hell of a book’. Like my book is okay. I got four rings. But his book, him and Jordan, guys like Magic and Bill Russell, they have like unbelievable books. I went to the finals ten times. Won eight, so I mean, I kinda wish my book was like that. I’m jealous of guys like Tom and Michael, but at least I have a book.”
Michael Jordan won six championships in his time, but Tom Brady eclipsed even that in his sport by winning the Super Bowl 7 times, more than any other franchise in the NFL has ever managed. Every athlete dreams of having a legacy like that, so it’s no surprise that it has led to even Shaq being jealous. O’Neal famously struggled to stay healthy in his later years and to be fair, could probably have added to his own story some more if he had the single-minded focus that Brady and Jordan are famous for.
