"I had to sit him down and apologize; I was a hypocrite" - Shaquille O'Neal explains how he squashed his beef with Alonzo Mourning after signing with the Miami Heat

Shaquille O'Neal has said that he had a beef with Alonzo Mourning before they became teammates with the Miami Heat. O'Neal and Mourning helped the Heat win their first championship in 2006. They were the first two picks in the 1992 draft, with O'Neal being the No. 1.

On "The Big Podcast with Shaq," the crew of O'Neal, Spice Adams and Nischelle Turner discussed the LA Lakers' newest player. The Lakers recently acquired Patrick Beverley, and there have been some questions if he could play alongside Russell Westbrook.

O'Neal reckons Beverley and Westbrook could settle differences, as they have to. The Lakers legend also revealed the story of how he squashed his beef with Mourning when they became teammates in 2005. Mourning backed up O'Neal most of the time during their run but also played together, with Zo as the power forward.

"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. 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."

Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning were the first and second picks in the 1992 draft. O'Neal went to the Orlando Magic, while Mourning was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. They carved out Hall of Fame careers and became teammates with the Heat.

O'Neal won four championships, three NBA Finals MVPs and one NBA MVP. Meanwhile, Mourning has one title and two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. O'Neal was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, while Mourning went in two years earlier.

Shaquille O'Neal and his Miami Heat career

Shaquille O'Neal during his jersey retirement ceremony with the Miami Heat

Shaquille O'Neal was traded by the LA Lakers to the Miami Heat in the 2004 offseason. O'Neal was ready to take on a new challenge after winning three championships with the Lakers from 2000 to 2002.

In his first season at South Beach, O'Neal averaged 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He was the MVP runner-up that season to Steve Nash, which is something he still remains petty about.

He had an injury-plagued second season in Miami and was limited to just 59 games. However, he was one of the main reasons why the Heat won their first championship that season. He deferred to a young Dwyane Wade, who took over in the NBA Finals.

O'Neal spent a season and a half more with the Heat before he got traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2008. Despite playing in Miami for just three and a half years, the Heat retired his No. 32 jersey in 2016.