Shaquille O’Neal is the type of guy one does not mess with. But Miami Heat President Pat Riley was always a strict officer. The Lakers icon’s tenure with the Heat is known for his fourth championship, but there were a lot of heated moments between the team and him. Shaq, however, wouldn’t let go of his lighter side. In a podcast episode with Heat legend Udonis Haslem, the 2000 MVP shared how he tricked Riley. 

Just like what Kobe Bryant said, Shaq and workouts were always a problem. Although he was an unstoppable force in the paint, both offensively and defensively, his body fat percentage was a problem, mostly for Pat Riley. Shaq shared in a podcast, “So Pat was a stat guy, so I tricked him… So one day he came in the locker room and he embarrassed me, ‘Oh you fat’, this and that… I was like, ‘Pat’, I said, ‘I understand your guys, it’s just body fat, this and that but here are the numbers. Since 1992, I’ve been averaging 37, 15, and 3 blocks!’

Surprisingly, all these mind games from the Big Diesel worked, but only for some time. At least it released some pressure off of him. Shaq added, “Then I told Pat, he got mad. I said, ‘Pat, I don’t eat salads…I’m the type of guy to go to McDonalds, eat a motherf****** burger, and bust a motherf*****’s ass. That’s just how I am.” 

Though Shaq might have played mind games with Riley, the embarrassment was enough for him to work harder alongside former Heat veteran Alonzo Mourning. 

How did Shaquille O’Neal give his heart out to battle against Alonzo Mourning? 

Mourning was an impeccable center and most importantly, he gave a tough time in practice to Shaq. According to Haslem, the two would go back and forth with each other. After Yao Ming, it’s pretty safe to say Shaq had a tough time on the court with Mourning, to handle his physicality. Haslem shared in the podcast, “They lit the fire, they started racing and s***, jumping jacks, any kind of competition they could get into, it was on…Oh man they full-out raced, 20-yard dash… Man, they was crazy.”

Read more: Shaquille O’Neal Sends His Condolences to Udonis Haslem, 20 Days After Heat Legend Bid Goodbye to ‘Guardian Angel’

This was Shaq’s best attitude. In fact, he calls it jealousy. He doesn’t want someone to be better than him, but that worked out great for the Miami Heat. Well, in this story, we can also say that Riley played mind games with Shaq by triggering him and embarrassing him in the locker room. This side of the story is unknown. However, it has worked out well for both sides. 

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