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“I Said No Every Single Time”: Shaquille O’Neal Shares A Funny Anectode About Michael Jackson

Published 07/09/2020, 7:40 PM EDT

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When Shaquille O’Neal entered the NBA, he took the league by storm. The towering physique of Shaq made it extremely hard for opponents to cope up with him. The Big Diesel cemented his place in the league as early as the first week of his rookie season. On the other hand, as Shaq gained a lot of fame, he even got to work with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. 

Not many people know this, but Shaq performing as a DJ is not something new. In fact, the Big Aristotle is a platinum-record seller. Back in 1993, Shaq released an album called Shaq Diesel, in which there are 12 tracks. The Hall of Famer made it big by managing to sell over one million copies of his album. 

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Though his other albums didn’t gain much recognition, the big man once got the opportunity of a lifetime. If you were in the 80s’ you would undeniably be a fan of Michael Jackson. Who wasn’t? The king of pop captivated his fans with his stunning vocals and amazing choreography.

Michael Jackson was arguably the greatest dancer that ever existed in his time. And imagine Shaq working with MJ! While it might sound too good to be true, it did happen. Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jackson collaborated when the NBA icon rapped a verse in MJ’s ‘2 Bad’ track that released in 1995. 

“Life’s about a dream

I’m really undefeated when MJ is on my team, theme

Reality brings forth realizm

It’s the man of steel organizm, twizm

Not from the prizm, take charge like manilla

Nine five shaq represent with the Thrilla”

These are Shaq’s lines in the song, which he raps with perfection towards the end of the track. Following this, MJ and Shaq shared a good bond and stayed in touch with each other. When Shaq was with the Magic, he lived in a huge house in Orlando, an asset that lured the eyes of Michael Jackson. 

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Shaquille O’Neal says Micahel Jackson tried to buy his house countless times 

The Lakers legend recently gave an interview to Maxim, where he opened up about several topics. Shaq spoke about his favorite Kobe moment, his beef with Draymond Green, and also stuff outside the NBA.

When he was asked about his experience of working with Michael Jackson in the ‘2 Bad’ track, DJ Diesel didn’t really delve into the past to recollect his memories about working with the king of pop. Instead, he shared another interesting story about MJ. 

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“The man tried to buy my Orlando house for $25 million on countless occasions,” Shaq said. “I said no every single time. I’d definitely take that deal today, though. There will never be another Michael Jackson, and I am not sure the world needs one.”

Wow, Shaq really turned down MJ multiple times. Maybe because he was a Magic player at that time. Even after moving to Los Angeles in 1996, it seems the big man did not want to sell his huge Orlando mansion to Michael Jackson. 

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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