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Shaquille O'Neal has always wanted to be No. 1 in everything and this time, the NBA Hall of Famer has revealed that he wanted to be the highest-paid athlete at some point in his career.
The big man was active in the league for 19 seasons, and his highest paycheck came during the 2004-05 season. It was Shaq's final season with the Lakers, and he pocketed $27.6 million that year.
Nonetheless, Shaq never got to the top of the list, and he eventually made peace with that after meeting soccer star David Beckham, who earned more than him. On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time champ was asked how he got to have dinner with so many great people, and he said:
(From 6:35)
"First of all, I don't kiss and tell. Second of all, those people are my friends.
"If you want to become great, you have to look at other great ones. So, for years when I first came in, I wanted to be the highest-paid athlete in the world. I took pride in that.
"And then one day I finally get hold of the list and I'm number 2 and I see David Beckham. Who the hell is this David Beckham? Soccer. So, I meet David, we hang out, I like David, he's cool, guess I'd be number 2.
"We were all at Miami for F1, and we wanted to meet, talk about some business things, and we had a nice little dinner."
Throughout his 19-year career, Shaq earned over $286 million in salary alone.
Shaquille O'Neal still holds the title as the most dominant player in league history
While Shaq did not become the highest-paid athlete in the world, he is still considered to be the most dominant player in basketball. The seven-foot-one big man was nearly unstoppable in the paint, regardless of who was guarding him.
Over the past week, he has been engaged in a back-and-forth with Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who said he could lock Shaq down.
While we will never know the outcome of that, it's worth noting that no one in basketball history has successfully achieved that, even some of the greatest rim protectors ever.
Nonetheless, Shaq said he respects Gobert's viewpoint, also pointing out how the league will continue to evolve. O'Neal said:
"You know what, Rudy? Let me tell you something I respect that I do. That's how you're supposed to think. A lot of times when I throw jabs people think it's hate or whatever. But really, I'm just challenging them."
Shaq played 1,207 games in his career and averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. He led the league in field-goal percentages a record 10 times.
Guess the Lakers players!
