In his 19-year-long career, Shaquille O’Neal inspired numerous youngsters to play basketball, and JJ Redick is just one of them. However, there was a time when even Shaq was awestruck to play alongside the players he watched growing up. While his list of inspirations extends from Julius Erving to Jeff Bezos, this time he name-dropped two all-time NBA greats, Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing. On the latest episode of ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’, the former Laker detailed his experience of meeting his boyhood idols for the first time and sharing the floor with them.
It started with JJ Redick, a guest on the episode, talking about meeting Shaq for the first time on the court. The former Clipper revealed his love for the 90s era of basketball, watching players like Shaq, Penny Hardaway, and the late, great Kobe Bryant. After hearing his heartfelt admission, Shaq also chimed in with his story of meeting Jordan and Ewing for the first time.
“I’ve said this many times, I felt like that when I played against Mike and Ewing,” Shaq revealed as he explained the reason behind appreciating the Knicks legend. He said that Magic Johnson was his inspiration, and he wanted to shape his game after the former Lakers PG. However, Shaq’s father had other plans, “My father was always like, ‘You gotta play physical like Ewing…So, I started watching Ewing, liked the way he played, he was playing mean, he had 33, I wore 33.”
The big fella added that his fanboy moment was short-lived because when he extended his hand to greet Ewing, he shrugged off his hand and said, “Shut the fu*k up, rookie. I’m about to bust your a**.” While Shaq’s meeting with Ewing was not the best, seeing the GOAT for the first time was like “seeing god” for him. Fortunately, his first experience with Jordan was better than the one with Ewing.
Michael Jordan is godlike for Shaquille O’Neal
Growing up as a kid who loved basketball, Jordan was like a superhero for Shaq. When he became an NBA player himself and got an opportunity to share the court with his hero, Shaq saw MJ doing the same moves against his team and it was surreal for him. Interestingly, when Shaq entered the league in 1992, Jordan was at the peak of his popularity. He was fresh off back-to-back championship wins and a dominant Olympic run with the Dream Team.
During the podcast, Redick asked the big fella what Jordan’s aura was like at the time and how he felt just being around him. Shaq stated, “I don’t know what god looks like, it’s like seeing god.” He said that initially he wasn’t impressed by the quality of basketball in the NBA when he watched the games of other teams, but that thought vanished once he witnessed MJ doing the same things that he once saw on TV.
He also added that he took notes from the greats, like Magic Johnson, and took motivation whenever he was challenged to improve himself. Even though, now, Shaq’s name is on the same list of greats, the feeling of meeting his idols for the first time would surely be unique.
