
via Getty
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 09: Shaquille O’Neal attends the WBC heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder at T-Mobile Arena on October 09, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

via Getty
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 09: Shaquille O’Neal attends the WBC heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder at T-Mobile Arena on October 09, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most successful centers in the NBA. He had the potential to change the fortunes of any organization he played for. Especially in his prime, he was unstoppable.
The Orlando Magic was an expansion team established in 1989. The team was looking for a superstar who could change the course of the organization. In 1992, they found who they were looking for. The Magic drafted O’Neal as the first overall pick of the 1992 NBA draft. O’Neal was coming into the league after an impressive tenure with LSU.
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The towering center hit the ground running and won the Rookie of the Year award. He instantly turned the club into a playoff mainstay. However, O’Neal was not just a superstar on the hardwood, he was one off it as well. Shaq was not just a dominant basketball player, he was a huge entertainer. The 4 time NBA championship winner was passionate about movies and songs as well and he gave it a shot.
He even starred in the movie ‘Blue Chips’ before joining the league. While his music career did great, his acting career did not do much.
Shaquille O’Neal calls out ‘The Iron Man’
Shaquille O’Neal starred in some funny movies in the initial stages of his career, which did not do well. Even though some of his movies did not do well, the fans loved his funny demeanor. And he continued acting in movies throughout his career. A few years back Shaq stated that he would love to star in a future Marvel movie with The Avengers. Interestingly, he wanted to take on Robert Downey Jr.
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O’Neal said, “I would love to be in one of the Avengers movies. I would like to kick Robert Downey Jr.’s a**.”
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Maybe he could be ‘Thanos’, certainly big enough, one would say. Also, the four-time NBA champion has been making huge strides with regard to his fitness. Like most professional athletes, the Los Angeles Lakers legend gained a lot of weight after retiring. From multiple practice sessions every day, to a sedentary lifestyle did not do him good.
Furthermore, his eating habits to cope with the loss of some of his loved ones caused more damage to his health. However, Shaq wanted to come back stronger and started to work out regularly. He even had a bet with NFL veteran Spice Adams to see who becomes the fittest of the two. Recently, O’Neal shared a video of him shirtless on his Instagram account to show his fitness level and fans could not believe it.
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