Not many people expected Shaquille O’Neal to win a championship in Miami. After winning three consecutive NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, O?Neal made it down to South Beach to join the Miami Heat. And it was a whole different culture than what he was used to while playing in Los Angeles. As the Heat battle the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, the Big Aristotle?s story from his playing days with the Heat gave Jimmy Butler a sense of what he endured back then and how it led to the birth of the famous ‘Heat Culture’.

The ?Heat Culture? started when the team won their first NBA Championship with Shaquille O?Neal. A standard set by serial winner Pat Riley, that went on to be upheld by Erik Spoelstra, it was all about sacrificing for the greater good of the team.

Shaquille O’Neal took credit for starting ‘Heat Culture

Shaquille O’Neal and the crew were joined by NBA legend Gary Payton on the most recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq. As Nischelle Turner talked about the Heat culture, Shaq was quick to cut her off by saying it was him and the rest of the guys that started that.

Shaq said, “That’s me and Gary’s sh*t. There ain’t no Heat culture. Me and Gary did that. Me, Gary, Alonzo, D-Wade, and Jason Williams. That’s our sh*t. Talking about Heat culture.” Even Gary Payton backed up Shaq saying that they were the ones who won the first championship and all that ‘trickled’ on from there.

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Payton also mentioned how Pat Riley came there in 1995 and did not win a championship till 11 years later. 4x NBA champion Shaquille O?Neal had previously also opened up about the things he had to give up while playing for the Heat.

In Shaquille O?Neal?s book, Shaq: Uncut, the big man mentioned the things he had to endure during his tenure with the Heat. Shaq was asked to bring his body fat down to 10% which was a task in itself. He went along with it as he was in a new place, with a new team and a new coach. In his book, Shaq wrote, ?I spent all day doing cardio and eating stuff I never eat. Salad, f*****g salad? I hate the stuff. So I was eating salad, fish, and chicken. It was ter- rible.”

A decade-old standard that is still being upheld

The standard set by Pat Riley back in 2006 has been upheld ever since by the franchise. Players go along with it in order to give their best for the team. One such incident was 6x NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry taking a smaller role with the team.

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There is no argument for the fact that Lowry has an impressive resume. A six-time All-Star and an NBA champion, Lowry decided to take a bench role in order to help the team in any way possible. Much like Shaq took a step back from his inclination to fast food, just so he could go along with the Heat?s culture and give his best to the team.

What are your thoughts on the Heat Culture? Let us know in the comments.