“NBA, You M**f**s Owe Me Some Money”: Shaquille O’Neal Demands His Paycheck After Hilarious Revelation

It’s hard to tell now but Draymond Green was quite the Orlando Magic fan thanks to Shaq. The Michigan native would’ve been around three when Shaquille O’Neal arrived in the NBA via Orlando. A kid Dray got his hands on some envy-worthy Orlando merch after Shaq popularized the team. A grown-up Green has been in conversation with Shaq on camera several times. But he only disclosed this fact as a guest on The Big Podcast. Plot twist: Shaq couldn’t savor it because he just realized he wasn’t paid for turning Green into a fan.

Contrary to their bickering and trash talk on TNT, Green said, “The child me, this is everything for me, growing up as a Shaquille O’Neal fan, the first jersey I had was the Magic pinstripe jersey with an Orlando Magic nightlight… Orlando Magic zip-up onesie.” Shaq’s response to this revelation was, “Hold on. NBA, you m**f**s owe me some money.”

Not surprising that baby Dray or his parents were following Shaq from the get-go and got their hands on Orlando merch back in Michigan over, say, the Detroit Pistons. Yet O’Neal glossed over the part about Green’s childhood admiration for him to confirm that Magic baby onesies existed. Green confirmed that it was a real thing that made up his childhood attire.

Apparently, no one informed Shaq he was being marketed to kids who’d go on to become future NBA players. “I ain’t never heard about no Shaq [expletive] pajamas.” But he knows the impact he had on the city.

Shaquille O’Neal still loves the Magic

Before he headed to the West Coast, Shaq had made Orlando Magic the team to watch after taking them to the 1995 NBA Finals. At his jersey retirement ceremony in February, Dennis Scott said that O’Neal brought upgrades to the franchise. Ever since the ’93 ROTY arrived, they went from cramped vans to a private jet, rundown hotels to the Ritz, and extra staff to carry their bags. Orlando became known for its NBA team instead of Disney World. Not farfetched that he also made the classic pinstriped merch popular.

The Magic baby apparel does exist with numbers of the franchise’s best, including #32. They weren’t a hot seller until Magic selected the LSU upstart first overall in 1992 and from minute one, O’Neal was putting Orlando’s NBA team and the city itself on the map. Shaq may have to check if he got his cut from the sales. Especially if his merch was responsible for inspiring future stars like Draymond Green, who entered the NBA the year after Shaq retired.

Orlando is still special to Shaq. He wants to retire there if not become a part of the ownership group. Whether or not he gets paid for his merch or not.