“Kareem didn’t say much, Wilt didn’t say much” - Shaquille O'Neal says Bill Russell was the first legendary big man who was nice to him

After legendary big man Bill Russell passed away recently, Los Angeles Lakers icon Shaquille O'Neal reflected on what the late legend meant to him. On July 31, Russell peacefully passed away and the whole world is mourning his death while honoring his legacy.

'Shaq' is one of the greatest centers that came into the league after Russell opened the doors for big, strong guys to thrive in the NBA. O'Neal was able to carve out an incredible NBA career for himself and won a total of 4 NBA championships.

Shaquille O'Neal recently shared some interesting tidbits on the Rich Eisen Show. O'Neal started by complimenting the late Bill Russell:

"He was the nicest gentleman ever. He was the first legendary big man that was nice to me. Kareem didn’t say much, Wilt didn’t say much. And then I met Mr. Russell. There was a hug, and sit down."

Watch the whole interview below:

Shaquille O'Neal also shared how he was able to learn a valuable lesson when he met Russell. When the two legends got a chance to talk early in O'Neal's career, Russell drew attention to the racism that he and his fellow African-American athletes endured. From then on, it was clear to the four-time NBA Champion what the Boston Celtics big man was trying to teach him.

After his interaction with Russell, O'Neal changed the way he dealt with challenges. He stopped complaining and started appreciating the opportunities that were given to him.

The impact that Russell made on Shaq was even more evident when he decided to buy all 11 of Bill Russell's championship rings to help fund the latter's Boston-based nonprofit "MENTOR."

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Shaquille O'Neal has always acknowledged the players who went before him

O'Neal at a Miami Heat game

When Shaquille O'Neal first came into the NBA, he went through opponents, broke backboards, and even made a few enemies along the way. But Shaq has the utmost level of respect for those who paved the way for him.

One of the more infamous "rivalries" during the 90's was between O'Neal and the San Antonio Spurs' David Robinson. At the time, 'Shaq' went on to battle legendary bigs every night. One of them was Robinson, who played for 'Shaq's hometown. Fans were booing Shaquille in his hometown as he played for a different team, resultantly, Shaq's rivalry with Robinson grew.

A well-known incident regarding this "beef" happened in 1994. Shaquille was closing in on the scoring title, with 'The Admiral' closely trailing him in the scoring department. Robinson took matters into his own hands and scored 71 points on their last game of the season and won the scoring title over Shaq.