In a recent appearance on the ‘Draymond Green Show,’ four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal revealed his envy for players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and LeBron James.
“Ever since I was a youngster, jealousy motivates me. I’m jealous of Steph Curry. I wish I could f***ing shoot like that. I’m jealous of Klay I wish my jump shot was that motherf***ing pretty. I’m jealous of LeBron, he’s almost a billionaire, I’m not.”
(Starts at 20:25)
While jealousy and envy are typically considered vices, O’Neal proudly used those feelings to help motivate his game. During his prime, the 7’1″ big man desired to be the most dominant player on the floor and he used hate to empower some of his greatest performances.
“Instead of taking that jealousy and turning it into hate, it turns into motivation,” said O’Neal.
As a four-time champion, one-time MVP, 15-time All-Star, and 2-time scoring leader, Shaquille O’Neal has accomplished more in the league than most players can even dream of. Even now, long after the Lakers legend has retired, he’s still using the methods that motivated him to help drive others.
“We all get criticized,” said O’Neal. “I was told one day ‘If there’s some truth to the criticism, you have to look at it differently.’ So when I criticize players I try to put some truth in it… that’s what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did to me.”
Even a guy as legendary as Shaq had limitations both on and off the court and he wasn’t blind to that. Unlike other players, however, Diesel never let his flaws define his career. Anytime critics or haters tried to come at his game, he turned it into fuel to enact his will on opponents.
Throughout his NBA career, O’Neal (drafted first overall in 1992) was a fierce competitor who held himself to the highest standards. He never shied away from a challenge and always sought to command his presence as a dominant force under the rim. In the media, O’Neal still follows that same approach and wants today’s bigs to respond by proving him wrong with sheer dominance.
Shaquille O’Neal Is Also Jealous Of Modern-Day Big Men
It makes sense for any player in history to be jealous of the skills LeBron, Steph, and Klay have. O’Neal uses jealousy as motivation, something he reiterated later when he discussed his envy of the freedom modern-day big men have on the court now compared to his playing days.
“I’m jealous of them. I wish I could step out and shoot the three, brother. Do you know why I call myself the Black Steph Curry? It’s because if I go to the gym and miss 195 threes but make one, I’m the Black Steph Curry. That sh*t f***ing feel good to step out and shoot that three.”
“When I’m jealous, I’m not envious, I’m jealous to motivate myself. I’m jealous of them because I wish I was allowed to do that. Back then, every now and then, I’d take it and go coast-to-coast, and the coach would look at me crazy. They’re allowed to do it.”
Shaq identified three modern big men as specific examples: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Victor Wembanyama. The three-time Finals MVP explained what aspect of each player’s game he’s envious of.
“Embiid is a mixture of me in the post and Hakeem Olajuwon outside the post. Jokic, I was thinking Brad Daughtery or a little (Arvydas) Sabonis, his game is nice and I like people who play at that pace. Wembanyama is different. He’s thin but he does some stuff. As the President of the Big Man Alliance, I really like those three guys. Any other big guys, I’m not feeling. When they say, ‘I hate all big men,’ I don’t hat all big men, I just hate the ones who don’t play like big men.”
Even though O’Neal wishes he had elements of skill from all these legendary players, he carved his own unique path in the NBA which might never be matched. Players will always be jealous of Shaq’s domination of the game, something we haven’t seen since and might never see again. But if a player with Shaq’s physical profile ever emerges, it’ll be interesting to see how they adapt their game to the modern era.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
