Shaquille O’Neal Recalls Bullying From Lakers Fans: “I Had the Tough Mental Fortitude to Get Through It and Persevere. Because I Wanted to Be Great”

Published 02/19/2022, 4:30 PM EST

It’s not a secret that Shaquille O’Neal has had a rough start to his life. He has talked about the struggles and hardships he faced while growing up. And in a recent interview, he talks about the struggles he had in the NBA.

The league got to experience the best of Shaq during his time in the Los Angeles Lakers. He won 3 titles and formed one of the best duos ever with Kobe Bryant.

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During an interview with The Rich Eisen Show, he reveals how he faced bullying from the Lakers fanbase and how he dealt with it. Apparently, Shaq faced a lot of criticism for his bad record with free throws.

Shaquille O’Neal on facing bullying

Shaq is one of the greatest players in the NBA and his best time came while wearing the Lakers‘ jersey. He played with the likes of Kobe Bryant and formed an incredible partnership that dominated NBA for years.

While talking about Ben Simmons in a recent interview, Shaq revealed an interesting piece of information. He revealed that he faced a lot of criticism and bullying from the Lakers fanbase.

He said, “You have to have tough mental fortitude to be great. Criticizing comes with the game. When I’m walking around and people say, ‘Hey, he is a great player but he can’t make a free throw.’ You don’t think that bothered me?”

Shaq further adds, “But I had the mental fortitude to get through it and persevere. Because I wanted to be great.” O’Neal has had a dismal record with free throws and his words give us an idea of the amount of flak he received for it.

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Shaq bashes people using mental health as an excuse

Shaquille O’Neal is a person who is known for not mincing words. He rarely hesitates to speak on controversial topics and he talked about mental health a few months ago.

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Speaking on The Big Shaq podcast, he said, “I need to see what it is before I speak on mental health. I know some people that really really need help. I’m tired of these rich millionaires, every time something goes crazy, talk about mental health problems. You know what, I’m thinking of getting a degree on this subject.”

Shaq gives us another example of how he never hesitates to talk on topics not many have touched on. He also went on to reveal his plans of pursuing a degree on this subject.

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Do you agree with what Shaquille O’Neal has to say? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Abhinava is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication. Abhinava has been following NBA for the past 6 years and is a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry.

Shaquille O’Neal Recalls Bullying From Lakers Fans: “I Had the Tough Mental Fortitude to Get Through It and Persevere. Because I Wanted to Be Great”

Shaquille O’Neal on facing bullying

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Shaq bashes people using mental health as an excuse