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Shaquille O'Neal has made some wild claims since he entered the NBA in 1992. Some of his contentions have become weirder after he finished his career in pro basketball.
At the peak of his basketball skills and popularity, a conversation with “The New Yorker’s” Rebecca Mead raised the eyebrows of even Shaq fanatics. Here’s what she reported about that interview:
“O’Neal considers himself to have a dual nature. ‘Shaquille is corporate, nice-looking, soft-spoken, wears suits, and is very cordial to people, whereas Shaq is the dominant athlete who is the two-time champion,’ he told me. ‘They are the same person, but it’s kind of like Clark Kent and Superman. During the day, I am Shaquille, and at night I am Shaq.’”
She added:
“O’Neal also has a nemesis, an evil twin, whom he calls Elliuqahs Laeno. ‘That’s my name spelled backward,’ he said. ‘That’s the person that I am not allowed to be because of my status. He does what a normal young rich guy would do—party, hang out, (and) use bad language. He stays out all night, tries to practice the next day, (and) isn’t focused. That is him. He’s dead, though. I killed him off.”
Mead never said in the report if Shaquille O'Neal said his line with a straight face. If there had been fans in the interview, they might have needed a double take to grasp what they just heard.
Shaq with multiple personalities may just be a little too much to take in. The basketball world, however, had become familiar with his dominance on the court. During his prime, teams would sometimes send the entire five-man unit to stop him from scoring.
O’Neal is usually all business in games. He may dish out one or two jokes, but he’s usually locked in, particularly in the biggest games.
Off the court, though, he seems to take on another personality. He becomes a larger-than-life persona who is all smiles and who can dish out a dance or two in a heartbeat.
Shaquille O'Neal was a 15x NBA All-Star. Several of the league’s midseason festivities were more exciting and spontaneous because of “The Big Diesel.”
Here's the full report from Rebecca Mead
Shaquille O'Neal’s philanthropy may be Elliuqahs Laeno’s replacement
Shaquille O'Neal has been a Santa Claus in real life. He has his annual gift giving to less underprivileged children. The Hall of Famer is also reportedly involved in charities that he has rather kept under wraps.
Just last month, Shaq went to a local Home Depot store. A family who couldn’t believe they were a few feet away from the basketball legend couldn’t keep themselves from taking photos of him.
O’Neal asked them what they planned to buy and offered to pay for the washing machine and dryer they were about to purchase.
As long as O'Neal's multiple personalities are all good, basketball fans will gladly embrace him for it.
