Shaquille O’Neal was and still is one of the funniest NBA players of all time. Sure, he was pretty competitive and used everything to fuel his desire to win, but the Big Diesel was really cool when he wasn’t trying to end his competition. That’s how he became one of the greatest centers of all time and arguably the most dominant player ever.
It wasn’t an easy journey for O’Neal, though, as he had to deal with certain things even before he made it to the NBA. His youth wasn’t easy, as he was involved in some altercations, was a bully for some time, and did many other things.
Shaq was a freak of nature at a young age and fame came to him really fast and unexpectedly, which was a big hit for him. The future 4x NBA champion didn’t know how to deal with that and his personality shifted thanks to this situation.
Shaquille O’Neal Says Being Famous At A Young Age Made Him Arrogant In High School
Talking with legendary host Conan O’Brien, Shaq revealed how being famous changed his personality and made him feel that he was above everybody else in high school until somebody made him realize he didn’t reach a certain position on his own.
“From 10 to 16 when I really started playing basketball, nobody knew who I was. At 16, I got my first article that said ‘Cole’s O’Neal best in the United States’. So I went from a nobody to being the best player. I went through my little arrogant phase.”
“When I thought I was better than, I would walk on one side of the hall, the whole school would move to the other side of the hall. I go to the lunch room and sit down, everybody would leave the cafeteria, I go to practice, I go shoot at one end all the other guys would shoot at the other end. So I was like this is funny. Then my guy was like, ‘Hey man, you didn’t get here by yourself’”.
Shaq really had to learn a lot of things during his teenage years. He’s come a long way, he lived a lot of things, went through some heavy stuff, and now is trying to do good in the world. It seems like his crazier years happened before he became an adult, but all of that made him who he is right now. It’s good to know he listened to people who cared about him and changed his ways.
