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Focus on Sport/Getty Images
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Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Shaquille O’Neal has had one of the most celebrated careers in the NBA. He’s won 4 championships and created multiple historical moments throughout his time. Not just breaking records but even the backboards, the 7-ft giant was built differently. But people often remember only the glorious part of his career and forget his days of struggle.
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From the day he entered the professional league to his retirement, his career has gone through a multitude of ups and downs. The time when he injured his Achilles tendon was the darkest time of his career, according to him. Any sports person’s worst fear is getting injured and not coming back strong. The same was the case with Shaq. Read a story from his dark phase.
Shaquille O’Neal and his Injury phase
During the onset of his career, Shaq faced a gruesome Achilles injury. Recently, on ‘The Big Emotions’, Shaq opened up about his phase when he was injured. He said that he used to be bored to death all day. He didn’t know what to do. Never spoken to his neighbors earlier, an injured Shaq used to share thoughts with them every morning. Meeting his neighbors and learning about them, they even started hanging out together. Once, a neighbor asked him “You never smoked w**d before?” Shaq, a true sportsman, had never even come close to it.
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LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O’Neal (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his father Philip Harrison (L) after the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-88 in Game Two of the NBA Western Conference first round play-offs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA 26 April, 2001. O’Neal was the high scorer with 32 points as the Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the series. AFP PHOTO/ Vince BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
This just shows how bored you get while you’re injured and the levels you go to, in order to get rid of the boredom.
Facing an injury and its aftermath
For any sportsman, recovering from an injury is more of a mental job than a physical job. Facing the boredom of doing nothing throughout the day, watching the team play from outside. It frustrates any player. Negativity sets in too, with the injured player starting to think that if they could ever get back to playing just like the good old days. This journey gets difficult for the sports person.
WATCH THIS STORY: Shaq’s 3 Finals MVP. Check other players with most MVPs.
What do you make of Shaq’s story? Let us know in the comments if you want more stories like this.
Written by
Edited by
Vibhanshu Kumar