“We’d make $200 million the first night.”: Shaquille O'Neal once claimed him and Arnold Schwarzenegger would dominate the Box Office

Shaquille O'Neal was easily one of the biggest attractions in the NBA once he entered the league in 1992. Tickets for Orlando Magic games skyrocketed when the LSU standout became the No. 1 pick of the ‘92 NBA draft.

O’Neal’s hopes of becoming an even bigger star weren’t limited to the hardcourt only. Sports Illustrated reported the big man's hopes of becoming an all-conquering brand:

“‘I want to do Terminator 3,’ O'Neal says. The declaration comes out of the blue, but then again, he always seems to bring this subject up when there's a reporter around. It might be his way of promoting a deal with Hollywood or getting the place to at least sit up and take note.

“‘It sounds good," O'Neal continues. ‘Arnold against Shaq. We'd make $200 million the first night. I met him, too. Arnold. He's real short.’ O'Neal gives an estimate with the flat of his hand, but it's only about five feet off the ground.”

Excerpt of Shaq's interview with Sports Illustrated in 1994.

Shaquille O'Neal, though, wasn’t completely out of his league when claimed that he’d like to team up with Arnold Schwarzenegger on screen. He had a small but important role in "Blue Chips," which was released in 1994, together with former teammate Penny Hardaway. Larry Bird, Rick Pitino, Bob Cousy, Bobby Knight and others were also part of the film.

"The Terminator," though, would have been a much bigger project than his first film. James Cameron’s action movie topped the US box office for over two weeks. The film’s $6.4 million budget resulted in a whopping $78.3 million in gross views.

Shaquille O'Neal’s estimate of $200 million in one night was overly positive but one can easily figure out what O’Neal wanted. He worked to be a star whether he was playing or not.

“Shaq” eventually had a bit part in "Terminator 2." It was, however, limited to the pre-show when viewers were asked to think of a future basketball game. O’Neal was the prototype who would make “human error a thing of the past.”

Here's the full SI report

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Shaquille O'Neal also had big roles in Kazaam and Steel

Although he never partnered with Arnold Schwarzenegger in any movie, Shaquille O'Neal eventually landed prominent roles in a few films. Two of those movies, "Kazaam" and "Steel," extensively featured him.

"Kazaam," which was released in 1996, was a family-oriented movie that maximized Shaq’s comedic flair and rapping. Many of the recent NBA draftees fondly remember him for this role.

"Steel" (1997) was another movie that gave O’Neal plenty of opportunities to show his acting chops. The former NBA superstar played John Henry Irons, also known as Steel.

The hero is known in DC as one of Superman’s supporting characters. Shaquille O'Neal’s portrayal was ripped by critics, though. Despite the bad publicity, the film didn’t affect the former Orlando Magic superstar’s popularity.

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