Shaquille O’Neal, in his prime, is as big a superstar as there has ever been. In hindsight, Michael Jordan was bigger globally, and even LeBron James may have surpassed him, but Shaq was the man during his best years in Los Angeles. The main superstar on the Lakers, O’Neal led the team to 3 consecutive championships alongside Kobe Bryant, which meant that everybody who was anybody wanted to be around Shaq.
And the Big Aristotle didn’t disappoint, his interests in life off the court were many and varied. O’Neal throws parties today as a DJ that are talked about across the world, and even then, he would be hanging out with all the celebrities. The biggest rappers of the time, names like Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg, were known to hang out with Shaq and were pictured with him at events numerous times.
Snoop Dogg Revealed He Used To Try And Get Free Tickets To Lakers Games From Shaq All The Time
For many celebrities, being seen at Los Angeles Lakers games was everything, especially during the years the team won their three-peat. The Lakers were Los Angeles’ team, and Shaquille O’Neal was the man, so everybody who was anybody wanted to be courtside to watch the big man dominate another opponent.
And Snoop Dogg, speaking in a recent episode of Legacy: The True Story Of The LA Lakers, hilariously explained how he would hit Shaq up for tickets to games (via Sportskeeda).
“I used to blow his a** up to get free tickets. ‘Shaq it’s the Dogg, what’s happening?’ That’s what you hear on the pager. ‘It’s Snoop Dogg. I need nine tickets, leave em at the gate.”
O’Neal likely made it happen and then eventually got Snoop to get him into parties and other events as well; it’s clear that the two of them shared a very friendly relationship during this time. Considering O’Neal’s nature in general, it’s no surprise that he was this connected to the celebrities in Los Angeles. Shaq has always been known for loving a good time.
This is not to say that he wasn’t extremely serious about the game as well during this time. Shaq knew what it took to build teams that won championships, and he, along with Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant, made it happen. The Lakers are intertwined with the culture of Los Angeles, and this is another example of how that works.
