Shaquille O’Neal made several enemies during his NBA career for a variety of reasons. His beef with Kobe Bryant was really (in)famous, but that wasn’t the only one Shaq had during his tenure. He left the Orlando Magic on bad terms, with his ego getting in the way of his relationship with Penny Hardaway.
Other legends like David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon also got into it with Shaq, and the Big Diesel took his revenge on both. These weren’t the only time where O’Neal had beef with some players, as he recently revealed he had a rivalry with a former Miami Heat teammate.
It wasn’t until they joined forces in South Beach that Shaq finally made amends with the player, realizing he had made a big mistake earlier in his career.
Shaquille O’Neal Didn’t Like Alonzo Mourning Until They Became Teammates In Miami
During a recent edition of his The Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal opened up about an old feud he had with another legendary big man, Alonzo Mourning. They weren’t on the best terms before Shaq landed in Miami, and once he got to know Mourning, things changed for the 4x NBA champion.
“I had beef with Alonzo Mourning,” O’Neal said. “And then when he came to the Miami Heat, I had to sit him down and apologize. I said, ‘You know what Alonzo, I was a hypocrite. I never knew you was this great.’ Alonzo Mourning is a great dude.”
O’Neal named their competitiveness as the biggest factor for this animosity, but they worked things out and became a solid frontcourt in South Beach, winning one championship together in 2006.
“Once he got in that locker room, I was like, ‘Man, this dude is just really, really cool. We should’ve did this a couple years ago,’” O’Neal said.
Shaq has repeatedly stated he learned to make amends with people and apologize when he was in the wrong. This is another example of that, and it’s great to see that he was mature enough to admit his mistakes and make them right. Mourning had one of the most intense beef in NBA history with Larry Johnson, but clearly, he was cool with Shaq and accepted his apologies.
