A historic name in world basketball, the 2.16 meter American giant Shaquille O’Neal marked his time in the NBA with dominant performances in the paint that earned him four league titles and the MVP award (given to the best player of the season) in 2000, in addition to gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Despite his successful career, critics pointed out that he could have been even greater on the court, commonly citing as an example his low performance from the free throw line (52.7%).
Visiting Brazil to DJ this Friday (20) at the Lollapalooza festival, the former player stated that he used these criticisms to motivate himself on the court and took the opportunity to give a message to Neymar, who also faces a series of questions regarding his performances on the field.
“I used that as motivation. Everyone will receive criticism, but no one can criticize me more than I criticize myself. Especially when I read something like: ‘he scored 50 points and lost because he missed 17 free throws. Do you think I wasn’t upset about that?”, stated O`Neal during an interview at a hotel in the Avenida Paulista region, in São Paulo.
“Sometimes you have to analyze criticism and see if there is any truth in it. Many times in my career, some were true and others were pure nonsense. But I always used that as motivation to push myself, and I think Neymar does the same,” he added.
Shaq stated that he is a football fan, but acknowledged that he knows little about it. “Has he already won the World Cup?” he asked about Neymar. Informed about the titles of Santos’ number 10, he added: “ok, so he’s already won a lot. But he needs to win the World Cup.”
“I’m sure people are talking about him, and I hope he sees that and I hope he uses it as motivation and can make it happen. But when you’re in this life, you’re always going to face criticism. Even the great Michael Jordan and LeBron [James]all these guys face criticism. It’s just part of the business. But at some point, you have to win championships, and I did that, so I’m good,” joked the charismatic giant.
This is your second visit to Brazil. The first took place in 1997 and was marked by an unusual episode — while visiting a court in the Vila Olímpica, in Mangueira, he broke the backboard while trying to dunk.
During the event promoted this Friday by a sports betting company for which Shaq is the poster boy, the construction of new courts was announced as a form of retribution for the loss almost 30 years ago — in Mangueira, Rio, and in São Paulo, in a location to be defined.
“First, I want to apologize for breaking,” he stated. “I want kids to get on the court, shoot and have fun. Let’s make sure the court is in good condition and safe, and hopefully that inspires. It’s all about trying to inspire people and give hope.”
The former player said he was introduced to Brazilian culture by fighter Vitor Belfort, cited Racionais as his favorite rap group in Brazil and highlighted the presence of the country’s players in the NBA in recent years. “There are many Brazilians who have already been champions. I played with several in the NBA. Tiago Splitter. Nenê. They never give up,” he said.
He also named Oscar Schmidt as the best the country has ever had in the sport. Shaquille O’Neal said that it was when he watched Oscar on the court that he realized for the first time that there was high-level basketball being played outside the United States.
“I never knew they played basketball with such intensity in other countries. That’s when I realized that people outside the US are also great basketball players.”
With the last seven NBA MVP awards given to players from outside the United States, the former center said that the sport has gone global and today has a series of teams with the capacity to triumph in major tournaments.
A member of the second edition of the “Dream Team”, as the US team at the Olympics became known from Barcelona 1992 onwards, O`Neal stated that it is no longer possible to know who will win the next edition of the Games.
“And that’s good for basketball, it’s good for the competition. Brazil will have a good team. Montenegro, the USA, of course. I’m looking forward to the next Olympics or the next World Cup,” he said.
Having played alongside names like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, Shaq stated that, if he could choose an active player to play alongside him, he would choose Stephen Curry, from the Golden State Warriors. “The way he throws is incredible, he’s simply the best thrower. He and Oscar Schmidt have similar mechanics.”
The former player also praised Gui Santos, the only Brazilian representative currently in the NBA, and highlighted that it is necessary to be calm throughout the development process in the league.
“He’s not a superstar yet, but he doesn’t need to be. He’s young. He just needs to keep working. Not many people can come into the league and become superstars right away, but if you do your job, you can have a respectable career,” O’Neal said.
He cited two other Brazilian NBA champions as examples for Golden State’s 23-year-old winger to follow.
“Leandro Barbosa, because of the team he played for, wasn’t seen as a superstar, but he played like one when he was in Phoenix. The same thing happened with Anderson [Varejão] when I was in Cleveland. This happens because they work hard and are not intimidated by any challenge. Good luck to this young man and I hope he represents Brazil like all the other players.”
