ATHLETIC GREATS: Shaquille O’Neal on Dominance, Leadership and Life After the NBA (April 2019)

Summary

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist – Shaquille O’Neal on Dominance, Leadership, and Life After the NBA

Episode Date: April 2019
Published: February 8, 2026
Host: Willie Geist
Guest: Shaquille O’Neal

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Episode Overview

In this lively, insightful episode, Willie Geist sits down with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal at the PJ Cafe in rural Georgia. Eight years post-retirement, Shaq opens up about his transformation from basketball superstar to savvy businessman, devoted father, and cultural fixture. The conversation covers his business ventures, the roots of his leadership, his unique brand authenticity, and enduring philosophy on life, all laced with humor and memorable storytelling.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Shaq’s Post-NBA Business Empire

• Entrepreneurial Ventures

  • Shaq discusses his growing restaurant portfolio, including “Big Chicken” in Las Vegas and a new venture in Los Angeles, fashioned after Houston’s/Hillstone’s. (03:47)
  • Emphasizes his approach: “We always start out in Vegas because my chef and my partners are in Vegas. They could do most of the watching while I’m working…now is the time to branch out a little bit.” (04:15)

• Instinct for Business

  • Shaq attributes his forward-thinking to his father’s lessons on avoiding pitfalls common among retired athletes:
    “Every time an athlete got in trouble, I would be punished. His methods were that we learn from everyone’s mistake.” (05:02)
  • Magic Johnson inspired him to start “owning things,” leading to self-education, an MBA, and a joint-venture philosophy:
    “Every business that I’m involved in, I have great teammates. And that’s how I survive in this world. It’s all about the teammates.” (07:47)
  • Notable discipline: “I didn’t touch my first NBA check until I got married…Reebok was paying me a lot of money, and Pepsi was paying me a lot of money. Big money. Real money. Leave it alone. Don’t even touch it. Cause I was just terrified. My father would say, ‘If you go broke, I’ll kill you.’” (11:22)

• Signature Investments

  • Shaq recounts a formative napkin-lesson on generational wealth from a businessman at the Four Seasons, advocating strict saving/investing. (10:07)
  • Reveals early, fortuitous investments in Google and Apple after direct conversations with their founders. (12:58)

Life Lessons and Leadership

• Philosophy on Wealth and Partnerships

  • Shaq is steadfast about not chasing money for its own sake:
    “It’s not about money, it’s about the ability to still be here, the ability to still be able to work…What have I done to put a smile on your face? That’s what I want to do in this rap. I just want to put smiles on people’s faces.” (13:41)

• Parenting Style

  • Describes raising his own six children with real-world values despite privilege:
    “I have to kind of reverse it…Go clean your room up, man. What’d you say? Yes, sir. Go outside. You know, I have to teach them about real life skills.” (16:23)

• Educational Achievements

  • Most proud of earning his advanced degrees:
    “I was disciplined enough to continue my education. Because when you’re young and you’re getting a lot of money, you don’t know what to do with it, but you’re just following certain steps and you’re still successful, you never think about the end.” (42:44)

The Shaq Brand – Authenticity and Humor

• Marketing Philosophy

  • Chooses endorsements based on personal history and product authenticity:
    • General Insurance: Used them himself in college (“I see the General, I see the CEO, I said, you know, I had the general insurance when I was in college. We need to talk business, okay?” 18:21)
    • Icy Hot: “I’m playing one day and I get a little, you know, tightness in my thigh…your product works. I know it works. Yes. I’m in.” (20:13)
    • Gold Bond: Used humor and cultural insight to pitch (“I went to the CEO and I said, you know, black people like lotion. He said, what did you say?…Gold Bond, baby. Man up with a gold bar.” 20:33)

• Rejection of Endorsements for Products He Didn’t Use

  • Declined Wheaties box offers because he didn’t eat it growing up:
    “I told my guys, I can’t do it…growing up, where I grew up, we couldn’t afford Wheaties. I don’t know what Wheaties tastes like…I can’t call Tony the Tiger.” (22:14)

• Humor as a Differentiator

  • His “class clown” persona became his commercial strategy:
    “If I ever get a commercial, I gotta shack it up. I gotta make people laugh. I gotta make people remember.” (26:34)
    • Explains his first Pepsi commercial was a comedic twist on the Mean Joe Greene Coke ad. (27:16)

Leadership, Legacy, and Basketball

• On Humility and Giving Back

  • Shaq’s mom kept him humble: “It’s not always about you…and she was the one who taught me the concept of what have you done to make somebody smile today? Ain’t about you.” (34:01)

• Basketball Reflections

  • Greatest competitor: “From my position, it would be Hakeem Olajuwon. He was a guy that I could not break mentally or physically.” (32:49)
  • On his all-time NBA starting five: “Kobe and Mike. The three, I gotta go with Bird…Malone…Akeem.” (33:36)
  • Self-exclusion from greatest lists: “I would probably never put myself on one of those lists anyway.” (35:07)

• Era-Based Greatness

  • Dislikes “GOAT” debates that leave out key players; advocates judging by eras and context. (36:43)
  • “One thing about sports figures…we all come and go. Somebody’s going to bring something different.” (37:10)

• Teamwork in Basketball and Life

  • Draws direct parallels between successful teams and successful businesses:
    “You got a hell of a producer. She’s a point guard…We win as a team. The business that we’re in is not an individual sport.” (37:57)

Life Moments and Memorable Stories

• Four Seasons Serendipity

  • Many business and entertainment opportunities—album, films (Blue Chips, Kazam)—came from casual encounters at hotels.
    “If you meet a Hollywood producer and he wants you to be in a movie, do it. I don’t care how bad the movie is. You just do it.” (30:01)

• On Championship Drive and Failure

  • Admits celebrating too early after beating Michael Jordan in the playoffs, leading to a humbling loss:
    “Before you succeed, you must first learn to fail. So what that taught me was if I ever get back to the finals, I’m gonna dominate so hard that nobody will ever beat me again.” (31:29)

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Notable Quotes

• On Business Philosophy:
  “Every business that I’m involved in, I have great teammates. And that’s how I survive in this world. It’s all about the teammates.” (07:47)

• On Generational Wealth:
  “‘If you invest in things that’s going to change people’s lives, it has to be a win.’ Once I heard them say that, then I tested the waters a little bit more.” (13:05)

• On Endorsements:
  “I can’t take your money if I don’t love your product.” (22:14)
  “I told my guys, I can’t do it…growing up, where I grew up, we couldn’t afford Wheaties.” (22:14)

• On Team Success:
  “Unless everybody’s clicking…when the team is running beautifully, you have a higher chance of winning that championship.” (38:40)

• On Legacy:
  “The best feeling I have in my life is when I go to a PTA meeting and they address me as Dr. O’Neal in front of my kids.” (13:41)

• Parenting Wisdom:
  “I tell my children all the time, you need 2 degrees to touch some of my cheese.” (13:41)

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Memorable Moments & Lighthearted Segments

• Mini-Life Lessons from Shaq
  Willie’s young son George submits questions—Shaq answers with characteristic humor:

  1. Could he throw a cannonball instead of using a cannon? (46:12)

     “Yes. What you have to say to yourself, is the cannonball real? No…paint a black ball…when I pick it up, you will see the muscles. So it would give you an impression that it’s real heavy, but it’s not…”

  2. With Andre the Giant, could Shaq lift a car? (47:09)

     “Yes. Your dad’s not gonna do any work. Me and Andre would do most of the work…”

  3. Who’s stronger—Shaq, Andre the Giant, or Bruce Lee? (47:41)

     “I’d have to say me, I think… Even though Andre Giant was very strong as a kid, I met him in the airport…he was the strongest guy I ever met in my life.”

• Pickup Game Surprise
  After the interview, Shaq and Willie play pickup basketball with local sixth graders, Shaq giving a pep talk and dunking on Willie—true to form and a magical moment for the kids. (49:13)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:47 — Shaq’s restaurant ventures and business expansion
• 05:02 — His father’s unique approach to life lessons
• 07:47 — Magic Johnson’s advice and Shaq’s teamwork philosophy
• 10:07 — Napkin lesson at Four Seasons; generational wealth
• 12:58 — Early investment stories (Google, Apple)
• 13:41 — Wealth, reputation, and parenting philosophy
• 18:21 — Authentic endorsements: General Insurance, Icy Hot, Gold Bond
• 22:14 — Endorsements, Wheaties, and brand authenticity
• 26:34 — Humor and marketing: first commercials
• 31:29 — NBA Finals heartbreak and drive to dominate
• 32:49 — Greatest players and Shaq’s all-time NBA five
• 34:01 — Lessons in humility from his mother
• 36:43 — On the “GOAT” debate and era-defining greatness
• 37:57 — Team building, business, and Warriors analysis
• 42:44 — Lifelong learning and pride in education
• 46:12 — Q&A with Willie’s son George: Tall tales and fun
• 49:13 — Pickup game with Georgia school kids

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Conclusion

This episode presents Shaquille O’Neal as not just one of basketball’s greatest figures, but an endlessly curious, humble, and relatable person. His candid stories and hard-won business insights—delivered with humor and warmth—offer listeners a rare view into the mind of a global icon who never stopped being a team player, learner, and lighthearted class clown.

Transcript

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[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit down podcast.

[Interviewer/Host]

My thanks as always for clicking and.

[Willie Geist]

Listening along this week. My guest is a larger than life legend, goes by the name of Shaquille o'. Neal. Yes, Shaq, one of the most dominant athletes in the history of sports. One of the greatest players in NBA history. Let me set the scene for you.

[Interviewer/Host]

As I always like to do.

[Willie Geist]

He lives in rural Georgia about 45 minutes outside Atlanta. Drive down to the little town where he lives, go to a spot called PJ Cafe Restaurant on the town square.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right there hanging out, waiting for Shaq to come in.

[Willie Geist]

And man, does he make an arrival. Comes in solo but in his jacked up pickup truck and all of 7 foot 1 and 300 whatever pounds, but kind of rock solid these days. Big arms, just wearing a purple polo shirt and sunglasses. Sunglasses for the entire interview, I believe. And I'll have to check with the Sunday Today historian. It's only the second interview that we've done for this Sunday show where the guest has worn sunglasses throughout, the other being Ice Cube. So Ice Cube and Shaq, the two guests wearing sunglasses throughout the interview. We got together and talked business. There was no real peg. Usually you interview somebody for a show or a movie or a song or.

[Interviewer/Host]

An album, whatever it is.

[Willie Geist]

Shaq just wanted to talk. So we sat down. We talked basketball, yes, but to me the most interesting part of the conversation was his business success. It's been eight years now since he played his last NBA game. Obviously, you know, he won the three titles with the Lakers, later won another one with the Miami Heat. Played in 15 All Star games, was the NBA Rookie of the Year, won the MVP award going back to LSU. He was the college player of the year and as you can imagine, he was pretty good in high school. An all American there too.

[Interviewer/Host]

But really we talked about what he's.

[Willie Geist]

Done since he left the game and that's become a crazy successful businessman with restaurants, real estate, car washes, and as one of now the favorite and best known pitch men on TV for products like the General Insurance, Icy Hot Gold. Bond wanted to get into him about why he picks those products. Because you are watching them and you.

[Interviewer/Host]

Go, I love Shaq.

[Willie Geist]

I love the ad. Why is he doing this? I know he doesn't need the cash. We talk about all that and then of course he puts on his analyst hat. You know, he's one of the hosts of Inside the NBA with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson. We talk about the warriors, we talk about the greatest players in NBA history. I get his all time top out of them. All that and a lot more with Shaquille o' Neal right now on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

[Interviewer/Host]

Shaq, thanks for doing this.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Thank you.

[Interviewer/Host]

Appreciate it. I know you just came in late from la. Big opening of Shaquille's restaurant out there. What kind of place is it?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It's similar. The best description I can give that people understand. Sort of like a Houston Hillstones, which is the same.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Very classy, very Southern fried chicken, steak, Kobe, burgers, ribs, whatever you want.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is this like some of your other projects where you'll start one in LA and then build them out all over the place? Put one in Atlanta maybe?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I would like to. That's always the plan, but you know, the first one is always the test to see how it works. Big Chicken, my other restaurant in Vegas is doing fabulous. So we're thinking about Orlando, maybe New York and Times Square, and Shaquille is the other one. I already own about six or seven restaurants in Vegas. We always start out in Vegas because my chef and my partners are in Vegas. They could do most of the watching while I'm working. So most of my seven restaurants there have been very, very successful. So now is the time to branch out a little bit.

[Interviewer/Host]

So where does this instinct come for you, Shaq? Cause you've got the restaurants, you got real estate, you've got clothing, you've got jewelry, you've got this huge portfolio of businesses. When did you get that interest in business? But not just an interest, but being good at it, having that savvy for it.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

My father did an excellent job of preparing me for life after basketball. His ways were very aggressively unorthodox. So every time an athlete got in trouble, I would be punished.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yes. The worst punishment of my life was when Lynn Bias passed away from a cocaine overdose. My father came in very upset and put his hands on me and said, if you ever do coke, I'll kill you. And me young. At the time, I was like, dad, I like coke. I was, you know, I thought, I'm not talking about that. Crazy, right? So we had to sit down and watch and learn. So his methods were that we learn from everyone's mistake. So it's a shame that 63, 65% of all athletes, especially in the NBA, when they retire, they have nothing. He didn't want that for me. I didn't want that for me. So every moment was a teaching moment. Whenever somebody did something wrong, he would throw it in my face. Whenever I would have an injury, he would throw it in my face. There could be times where I have a hell of a game, 40, 50 points, and he would say, yeah, what's going to happen if you blow your knee out? What's going to happen? So he started it. When I was 19 years old, I met Magic Johnson in Los Angeles. And Magic pulls me to the side and says, you're going to be a big star in this league, but at some point, you want to start owning things. I had no idea what that meant, right? So when I first came in, you know, people thrusted the leadership position. Be a leader, do this, do that. So I know basketball. I didn't know business. Now I had to learn business. Now I had to watch people and see what they do. I had to buy a book called the dummy's guide of starting your own business. Read that 50 times, tried it, failed a couple of times. And I said, you know what? Let me go get my master's of business administration. Let me do it. So then finally, I would say to myself, okay, I want to own a restaurant. I'm playing. I'm doing movies, I'm doing interviews. How am I going to do it? Go back to my leadership and how I ran the team. And then I figured it's all about teammates. So my strategy is, I love doing joint ventures with people, right? So only thing you have to worry about is the trust factor. For example, if I'm going to start a talk show, you're gonna be one of the first guys I call. And your lovely producer, she's gonna be with us. I say, it's the Shaq show. Boom. Boom, boom, boom. And y' all do what y' all do. Be my teammates, and we have a great show. Rather than me trying to interview people and do this and do that, I'm not that good. So every business that I'm involved in, I have great teammates. And that's how I survive in this world. Because I'm all over the place. Everybody knows it, right? Commercials, movies, tnt. And people ask me all the time, how do you maintain all this? It's all about the teammates. And I manage my teammates. So the five to seven restaurants we have in Vegas, I got two great point guards, the mats, they run everything. And I'm educated and smart enough to be like, let me see what happened this week. Oh, sales are down. What's going on? Well. Well, no, no, There is no well, maybe we need to go over to the convention center, hand out little pamphlets, let them know that Shack has seven restaurants in Vegas. We get so just like, you know, little stuff like that. And the biggest thing I learned was not to micromanage. So kudos to my mother and father for seeing something that I never would be able to see. Because, look, I wasn't an A student. I didn't score high on the SAT or the actual. But they knew I had great leadership and great people qualities. So they would always say, hey, when you're done playing, whenever that is, you need something to fall back on.

[Interviewer/Host]

So at 19 years old, you're at LSU, you're a college student?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, at 19, I'm in the NBA.

[Interviewer/Host]

19, you're in the NBA?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

19. 20. Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, so your rookie year. Most guys at that age are thinking of what car they're gonna get, what house they can have, what they can get for their mom. And you're already, thanks in part to magic, thinking forward.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I did all that also.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I'm not gonna lie to you.

[Interviewer/Host]

I saw that.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah. I did all that stuff. And, you know, I like meeting people. I'm not ashamed to say I don't know it. All right, so, you know, part of education is also having conversations with people. Education is not always read a book, take a test, pass a test. You're educated.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yep.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It's about meeting people. So one day, I'm in the Four Seasons, Beverly Hills, la, and I hear these gentlemen, oh, I just did this. 70 million. This. 50 million, this. 80 million, this. You have a napkin? I'm gonna show you.

[Interviewer/Host]

Napkin, yes.

[Experian Advertiser]

Stand by for a moment.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, no, I don't. This is part of my spiel, right? 70 million this. 80 million this. So I grabbed the gentleman. I said, who are you? He said, I'm boom. Boom. Oh, I heard of you. Great businessman. I'm shy. Oh, I know who you are. How do I save money? How do I create generational wealth? Pulls out a napkin. Actually, he pulls out a hundred dollar bill. Said, this is a hundred. My half of 100 is what, Willie?

[Interviewer/Host]

50.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

You save that. Save it. Put it away. Don't even look at it. It's not there. Whether you're investment. Government bonds. Do not touch it. How much do we have Left, Willie?

[Interviewer/Host]

Another 50.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

All right. He says, so the real people that are very wealthy do this. How much is this, Willie?

[Interviewer/Host]

25.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

All right, you put that away. Also put it away. So you got 75 saved. Now this. Do whatever you want to do. Houses, cars, jewelry. I did that. So I really did that. I was so scared of investing in things because I would always read stories. Athletes investing lost all their money. So I was. Government bonds, 3, 4, 5%. I didn't care.

[Interviewer/Host]

Even at that young age.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I'm not investing in nothing.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Nope. Not doing it. Put all the money over there. And this. I'm gonna do whatever I want. Mom, you need a house. Boom. Dad, you need two cars. Boom. All that. And I didn't touch my first NBA check until I got married.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Wow.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Reebok was paying me a lot of money, and Pepsi was paying me a lot of money. So those are my. I'm gonna play with these.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

This. Big money. Real money. Leave it alone. Don't even touch it. Cause I was just terrified. My father would say something like, if you go broke, I will kill you.

[Interviewer/Host]

There comes dad again.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, seriously. I was like, man, I can't do it. So, you know. And then another time in Four Seasons, I'm, you know, because I always consider myself a geek, I wanted to be the first one to have, you know, everything. So I'm in Four Seasons. One problem. I hear two guys talking about investment. They're like, man, this is going to be the future. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I'm sitting right here and you know, he's pulling off. We're going to do this. They're gonna call this the search engine. And you type in the search engine, and information will pop up free right here on your phone. And I already had a phone that was a little bit computerized. It was a Nokia flip phone that you open it up.

[Interviewer/Host]

I remember this.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I was like, okay. So I'm doing that. And I said, sir, I'm Shaquilla. Oh, how you are. I would like to talk to you more about that. And he said, who's your representative? Oh, I know. Lester. I called Lester. So Lester called, said, you want to invest in this Google thing? I said, let's do it.

[Interviewer/Host]

This is early Google.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Early Google said, let's do it.

[Interviewer/Host]

And that was Larry and Sergey sitting at the.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

That was my first big, risky investment. I didn't know.

[Interviewer/Host]

Did pretty well on that, huh?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah, did pretty well on that.

[Interviewer/Host]

And Apple, too, right?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Didn't you get in on Apple? Yeah, but then I would always watch the rich fellas talk. You know, Jimmy Buffett, Warren Buffett, and Jeff Bezos. And basically what they would say is, if you invest in things that's going to change people's lives, it has to be a win. So once I heard that, once I heard them say that, then I tested the waters a little bit more.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is it true that you made more money, Shaq, since you retired, than playing?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I don't know. Cause I don't count it. Because me, it's not about money. It's about the ability to still be here, the ability to still be able to work. Believe it or not, even though I know how much I'm making, my representatives are not allowed to tell me how much I'm making on a deal. Why is that? So I never want to base a deal on money. Like, for example, they say, hey, you're at McDonough. We want to do a restaurant. I'm like, I don't really want to build a restaurant. But there's a guy around the corner named pj. He's been here for a while. I'll come and have a conversation. PJ, let's do something together. Cause PJ's been here. He knows the market. I would try to do a JV partnership with PJs. We have a successful restaurant. Rather than me trying to come and build and do no. So partnerships has always been my big thing. But I never want to do anything based on money. But I've been doing okay. And another reason is, my mother always used to tell me, you're gonna be known for something more than basketball. The best feeling I have in my life is when I go to a PTA meeting and they address me as Dr. O' Neil in front of my kids. Love it. Cause I listen. My kids grew up with the Shaq character, but I want them to know me for something more than Shaq. Like I tell my children all the time, you need 2 degrees to touch some of my cheese. I have them on A little allowance. And I have six children. And I tell them all the time, we don't need another NBA player, even though I got two of them that'll probably be in the NBA. And I tell my daughters all the time, you sure you don't want to go to law school? I'll take care of it. You sure you don't want to be an architect? I take care of it. You sure you don't want to go to Harvard Business School and hang out with the guys that create Facebooks and all that? I'll take care of it. And that's my goal for my children. But to answer your question, I don't know how much I make. It doesn't really matter. Because another thing that fascinates people, they always say, what do you want people to know you for? And my answer has always been the same. I want people to say, shaq was a nice guy. Cause in this world we live in, it's all about treating people with honor and respect. Doesn't matter how much you make. Just cause I make more than you don't mean I'm better than you. So it doesn't matter how much I make or how many businesses I own. What have I done to put a smile on your face? That's what I want to do in this rap. I just want to put smiles on people's faces.

[Interviewer/Host]

Do you take any of your dad's approach with you with your own children?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, I can't. I can't. Because I grew up in an area that it was a lot of temptations. Yeah. So the first time. First time I met him. Cause he's not my real father. He's my stepfather. He said, I'm gonna teach you to be a leader, not a follower. So first thing he did, and I tested his theory a lot of times. And I would get punished for it. And I'm happy that he punished me for it. Cause now my discipline is so Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi, it will never, ever be broken again. So it was. It was tough growing up, but it was definitely, definitely worth it. But my children didn't grow up in that type of environment. So I have to kind of reverse it. I have to kind of. Even though we have the chefs and the housekeepers, I have to reverse it. Go clean your room up, man. What'd you say? Yes, sir. Go outside. You know, I have to teach them about real life skills. And I can say, I have six wonderful children. I have no problems. I'm blessed in a lot of categories. And the children Category is one of them. I got an older daughter who's about to graduate. I got a son who's a junior at usc. I have a son who's a freshman at ucla. He just went through heart surgery. I know.

[Interviewer/Host]

How's he doing?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

He's doing fine.

[Willie Geist]

Good.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It was very tough. Fabulous young man. His little brothers are behind him. And then he has a little sister that's a junior and another young daughter. She's in the eighth grade. They all play sports. But I have fabulous children. I haven't had any problems.

[Interviewer/Host]

You were talking about the businesses and the companies you choose to work with. Some of the ones that jump out to people when they watch commercials are the General Insurance, Icy Hot, and Gold Bond. And some people watch those and go, I love Shaq and those ads, but I know he doesn't need the money. So what's he doing in all those ads?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It's not about money. It's about partnership. So the general. People ask me all the time, why the general? This is why. Because before the character Shaq was created, he had to go to college. I'm in college. I'm walking around. I'm working odd jobs, DJing, construction. Boom, boom, boom. I get $5,000. I go to a Ford dealership. It's a Bronco 2 there, old one Rusty, beat up for $3,000. I know nothing about buying cars. I go buy the car. Guys say, you got some insurance? Like, what's insurance, sir? You need insurance before we let you go buy a car. So I'm going to all the big boys. 200, $300 a month. I ain't got that. So I go to this one little place. It's a Little General Insurance. $29 a month. I got that. Go in there, sign me up, go back on my little insurance slip. Basic coverage. Listen, that's all I need. I'm not gonna be driving cross country. Just, you know, drive to the club, to the hangout, drive here, drive there. I know I'm not gonna crash. I can't afford to crash, right? So I go give him my little paper, my little $4,000, buy a car. Boom. So now when I'm at a conference one day and I see the General, I see the CEO, I said, you know, I had the general insurance when I was in college. We need to talk business, okay? Boom, boom, boom. The guy kind of all right. And he went back, and I guess he checked it. He said, man, this guy really did got the General. And then that song. You gotta love that song for a great Little rape drink, get online, go to the General. Like, I hear that song every morning when I'm watching Maury Povich. I gotta watch Maury Povich every morning.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, is that right?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah, Maury Povich is my favorite guy.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's part of your wake up routine.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Wake up, 9:30, watch him at 10 while I'm doing a little bit of cardio on my peloton bike. And I just get a kick out that show.

[Interviewer/Host]

And then you see yourself come on.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

In the ads and then Icy Hot. Yeah, I'm playing one day and I get a little, you know, tightness in my thigh. Say, hey, man, give me something. Some heat up. The guy puts it on my thigh. It rises up during the game, it touches the boys so it's hot. So when they came on and said, hey, you want to do, I said, your product works. I know it works. Yes. I'm in. Well, you're not gonna talk. I'm in. It ain't nothing to talk about. I'm in. So Gold Bond. I just got their owned by the same company. So you know, how I got that deal was very fascinating. I went to the CEO and I said, you know, black people like lotion. He said, what did you say? I said, black people like lotion. We need to do something with Gold Bond. And it's true. I know you see how shiny I am today. I said, gold Bond, baby. Man up with a gold bar.

[Interviewer/Host]

Still moving product.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah. So that's how I got that deal.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, what do those CEOs say? So the CEO of the General, Shaquille O', Neal, comes up to him out of nowhere and says, I want to work with you. Is he shocked by that? He's obviously thrilled. But is he shocked that you want to do business with him?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

They're definitely shocked. And they're definitely shocked that I'm the one doing a lot of the talking. I have great representatives. But one of the reasons why I got my masters is I used to show up with my big time agents in their suits, and guys would be like, hey, Shaq, how you number one one? Anyway, we weren't like, they wouldn't even look at me. We wanna do this with Shaq. Three years. And I took offense to that. I said, okay. They're looking at me as one of these athletes that don't know what's going on. And they're probably right. Let me go to school. University of Phoenix, five years. Boom, boom, boom. Got my master's. So now I would like to hear what you have to say. Sir. Oh, no, no, no. I'm right here. Here we go. Oh, you want to do this? You want to do. And then I'll talk to my guys, and that's been kind of better for me. So everything has been a learning experience.

[Interviewer/Host]

You also have a track record. Now they have to listen to you because you've succeeded time and time again. Right?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Because when I'm selling stuff to the people, I think the people can see if it's a paid advertisement or you really believe in it. Growing up from a military man who's all about honesty and respect. I can't take your money if I don't love your product. I always tell the story and people. It's a fascinating story to myself. Win the first championship. Get contacted by Wheaties. Hey, we want to put Shaq on the COVID I told my guys, I can't do it. Big argument ensues in office. What do you mean you can't do it? This Wheaties, the Breakfast Champion. I said, growing up, where I grew up, we couldn't afford Wheaties. I don't know what Wheaties taste like. I know what the box looks like. Everybody sees it. Every kid wanted to be on the COVID But I can't do it. What do you mean, you can't do it? So I tell you what. Call Frosted Flakes. Call Fruity Pebbles. That's what I grew up on. Let's, you know, change the narrative here. I can't. I'm a champion. I understand that, but I can't call Tony the Tiger. So we called Tony. They weren't interested. Called Fruity Pebbles. No, we're not interested. All right, cool. Still can't do it. Second championship, Wheaties called back. Ah, you know, can't do it. Call my people. Call Tony. So third championship. Call Tony. So fourth championship, Wheaties did a deal with the NBA, and they used my likeness. I was on the COVID So about seven years after I retired, I get a call from my representative, and I only took $1 from this deal because it wasn't about money. He said, hey, man, I got the best news you want to hear. He said, you want the good news or bad news? I said, well, give me the bad news. He said, frosted Flake's still not interested in having you with Tony. So that's cool. And I said. I said, what's the good news? Fruity Pebbles wants to put you on 13 million boxes. I told my guy, hell, yeah. He said, it's not a money deal. I said, I don't care. I don't care. So one time I was walking through the aisle with my kid. Cause I knew it was in there, I wanted my kid to see. So I was like, hey, go get some cereal. And my kids eat the same thing. So they look and like, yep, your daddy's on the. And that was bigger. Bigger than anything. So again, I can't be disrespectful to you and your business by taking your money and then try to deliver it to the people.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, you're always authentic and that comes through. It's all real.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It is.

[Interviewer/Host]

But you're also funny and charming. And there's a reason my 9 year old son, who's never seen you actually play an NBA game, except for highlights on, on YouTube, loves you based on where he sees you on TV and in commercials and on inside the NBA and all that have you cultivated from the beginning. That is sort of a brand that I'm the.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I used to get in trouble from being a class clown. I can remember my mother saying, one day you're either gonna be in trouble or you're gonna be successful. So I'm in marketing class at lsu. Guy says, make a product. I want a presentation tomorrow morning about something that you can see in the future being sold a real, a real presentation. So you know me, Shaq shoes, Shaq shirts, Shaq underwear, Shaq golf, Shaq everything, right? But I come in, make my presentation, class is laughing. The professor put it to the side and said, well done, Mr. O', Neal, but it's not going to work. And I said, why? So we had a conversation. He said, look, I love you people at Baton Rouge love you. But if you look at the climate of the NBA, big guys just don't sell. And I was like. And I would go back and I watch, it was only Michael, Magic and Burt. Yeah, like, damn, he's right. So now I don't like to use the word depression because I know that's a real problem. So I'm sad because I'm like, man, I'll probably never have a commercial. Like, as a kid, I used to have different type of dreams. Like, I'd sit there, oh, I could do that. My boy alone, he has that first name, you know, I could do that commercial, right? And you're looking at tv, you're looking at rappers. I can do that. Like, I would always say, I could do that. So I'm sitting there and I'm watching, I'm like, damn, I'm never have a commercial ever. And this dumb dog comes on the TV spuds MacKenzie. You remember him?

[Willie Geist]

Of course.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

He was everywhere, right? So I'm like. But his commercials were always funny. They were always cute. So then I kind of forget about it. I go to the store. This dude got cups, hats, damn napkins. Like, he's all over the place. So then I said to myself, okay, if I ever get a commercial, I gotta shack it up. I gotta make people laugh. I gotta make people remember. So if you remember my first commercial, and I hope you can show, my first commercial was a Pepsi commercial. I'm walking, I'm playing with this kid. Gg, gg, gg, gg. And the kid has a Pepsi. And I reach and go grab it. And he says, don't even think about it. And he intimidated me. So I kind of got that from the Mean Joe Green.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's the opposite of the Coke commercial.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It's the opposite. So I did that. And I was like, okay, how's it gonna test? How's it gonna test? And people loved it. So my theory is to make them remember something in the commercial. See, the good thing about the General is you don't even know it's insurance. Well, great. Low rate. You. That's it. That jingle makes you say, what the hell was it? Oh, that's the general insurance, right? So with Icy, Hyde and Goldman up, right? So I have to make them remember what I'm talking about. And I only try to do that one way. Just make them laugh. Because I could easily say, this is a napkin. Like, you know, with this, I would probably make a napkin and do something like this. And then the napkin would turn into a butterfly. PJ's napkins. Turns it. You know, right? So people. Shaq took a napkin and turn into a butterfly. You can only do it at PJs. So I try to make them remember just by making them laugh. And it's been working.

[Interviewer/Host]

And you start.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I watch commercials. I don't want to see boring infomercial commercials. I hate those.

[Interviewer/Host]

You started early, too. I think it was your second year in the league that your album came out, right? Shaq Diesel. That went platinum.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

Blue chips that year, too. Couple years later, kazam.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Which was the best, worst movie of all time?

[Interviewer/Host]

Is it a better genie movie than Aladdin? That's the question.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I haven't seen Aladdin. And you know what? I'm. I can't disrespect Will Smith. He's. He's the man. He's. He's always been. He's always been good to me. He's. He's a great actor, and he's. He's smart, so I'm sure he's not going to pick a movie with a bad script.

[Interviewer/Host]

When's the last time you went back and watched Kazam as a better.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I watch it all the time.

[Interviewer/Host]

Do you?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

When it comes on TV or you just pop it in.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I watch it all the time.

[Interviewer/Host]

And what do you think over the years?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I get a lot of bad reviews from older people, but my thing is them. You're too old to be watching that. But then every now and then, I'll see a kid, a guy that's 20, 25. Man, that was my favorite movie. And I was a kid. Oh, yeah. It was for the kids. Right. But I was such a, you know, the adult. Oh, what are you doing? Listen, I'm not a movie star, but I'm not going to turn down the opportunity. Same restaurant. Same restaurant. I'm in the Four Seasons. I done got so much business with the Four Seasons.

[Interviewer/Host]

I was gonna say.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

And a guy named William Freakin. Billy. You know Billy Freakin.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

He said, my name is Billy Freakin. I'm like, Exorcist. He's like, yeah, you know that movie? I said, it's me and my mom's favorite movie. So anyway, we got to the. Got through the small talk. He said, I'm doing a movie. Blue chips. I want you in it. And I was like, man, I don't know nothing about actor. You don't have to do that. You just have to be a basketball player. College. I said, well, I can do that. And that's how I got in the movie. So you want me to be a kid that grew up. However I grew up and a Hollywood producer said, hey, you want me to say, no, that's not gonna happen any other kid. If you meet a Hollywood producer and he wants you to be a movie, do it. I don't care how bad the movie is. You just do it.

[Interviewer/Host]

My takeaway today is I need to hang out the Four Seasons more often.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Oh, yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Good things happen.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yes, I do.

[Interviewer/Host]

Was there any risk to you, to doing that early in your NBA career, that kind of stuff off the court, Michael wasn't doing those kind of things. Magic wasn't really doing those kind of things.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, no. Because we have to take advantage of all opportunities. I don't know when I'm gonna get those opportunities again. And I realized that you're doing a lot of stuff, but this is the bread and butter, so make sure that this outshines everything. Else. So I know when I did an album, people, whatever we lose. Oh, if you weren't doing videos with Notorious B.I.G. and doing all those rap albums, you probably would have won. And I understood that. But what that did was drive me to become better. That's all it did. Like, I knew the probability of me winning the championship early on was very low, but the more I lost, the more I got upset, the more I trained, I knew it was coming, and we just had to have the right pieces. And we finally had the right pieces. And then when you add Phil Jackson to that, mix a guy with a stellar resume, it's a win, win, win.

[Interviewer/Host]

You got close in Orlando.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Really close. Really close.

[Interviewer/Host]

95.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

And I broke a rule.

[Willie Geist]

What?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

You celebrated too early because we beat Michael Jordan, which nobody has ever done. I won so much money on that with kids. Who's the last guy to beat Michael Jordan in the playoffs? Nobody. You better Google me, buddy. Yeah. 94.95. So we beat them. I'm partying like a mug. I got a 60,000 square foot house. I'm bringing people over. Cause in my mind, I already had the championship won. Right, but you broke the major rule. The basketball guys paid me back very nicely because I had already won. I was already celebrating. We already had a little mini parade at Disney. And, you know, I was. You know, I was always. I was always playing, oh, we're gonna beat these dudes in six, and I'm gonna go to Miami and rent a. Yeah, I was out there. And then King put it on me. But before you succeed, you must first learn to fail. So what that taught me was if I ever get back to the finals, I'm gonna dominate so hard that nobody will ever beat me again. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. And when I was. When I got back, that's what I tried to do.

[Interviewer/Host]

You won three in a row, and you won the MVP of all three of those finals.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

So you definitely did that.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

So more basketball questions for you then? If I could. The greatest player you ever played against?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Well, from my position, it would be Hakeem Olajuwon. He was a guy that I could not break mentally or physically. Greatest guy I've ever watched live. Is Michael Jordan the greatest guy to get me to want to become an NBA player? Julius Ervin. The greatest guy that I watched how he navigated through the city of LA on and off the court. Magic Johnson. A guy that is not afraid to say what's on his mind. Charles Barkley. I'm a mixture of a lot of guys.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's true.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I'm a mixture of a lot of guys.

[Interviewer/Host]

So if you had to do your all time starting five, I know this is hard. All time NBA starting five. Do you have one?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Colby and Mike. Ok, that's the one. And the two, the three. I gotta go with Bird.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Four, I gotta go with Malone. And five, I gotta go with Akeem.

[Interviewer/Host]

You left somebody out.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No.

[Interviewer/Host]

You're not first team.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, I'm not first team. Not at all.

[Willie Geist]

Okay.

[Interviewer/Host]

Can I give you my five? Tell me what you think.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

But let me tell you why I'm not first team. One day I was riding around with my mom. I'm Shaq. I'm the man. I was a little bit arrogant. My mother says it's not always about you. And no man will ever. Excuse me. No man is never supposed to talk back to his mom or disrespect. So when my mom talks, it's gold. It's scripture. And she doesn't say things like that much. So when she says that, I'm like, you know what? You're right. You got everything. But it's not about you. See that homeless couple over there? Go help them out. And she was the one who taught me the concept of what have you done to make somebody smile? Today ain't about you. Everybody can't do what you do. Yes, you're blessed and all that, but why don't you bless somebody else? So once you told me that, and I'm glad she told me that early. Like people ask me all the time, I always leave myself up. It ain't about me. Because when you ask me that question, that puts me back in fan mode. So now I'm a fan. So now I'm just like you. Right? So that's. But yeah. So I would probably never put myself on one of those lists anyway.

[Interviewer/Host]

She taught you humility?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Oh, yeah. All day, every day.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, here's mine. You tell me what you think. Magic, Michael, LeBron, Shaq at the 5. And then hear me out on the power forward. I slide Bill Russell into the four. Little back end defense there.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I can't be mad at that.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I can't be mad at that.

[Interviewer/Host]

How about the current debate? LeBron or Michael?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

It's not a real debate unless you have Kobe Bryant in that mix.

[Interviewer/Host]

Do you think Kobe's better than both of them?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I don't say he's better. It's not my job to say who's better. He's adequately equal. Right. Like in your field, I put you up There, Right. I definitely put you up there. But there's a lot of other people who have different opinions. That's why I like conversations like this, because it's all opinion based on. Yeah, but me, from my perspective, I don't want to have that conversation unless you put that name in. Right. It's like saying, who's the best big man? And you say Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, and you leave out Kareem. Or you say Kareem and Wilt and you leave out Bill. No, put those three in now. Now we can have a real conversation. So I don't think it's a real conversation without Kobe, but I don't know the answer to it. But my answer is I gotta go with Mike. And Mike said something I never heard anybody say. So I don't want to say I'm the greatest of all time because it's disrespectful to the other ones that played before me. So that's how I kind of answer when they ask who's the greatest big one of all time.

[Interviewer/Host]

And you have these conversations, as you said, with Charles and Kenny and Ernie on the set.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah, with everybody. Everybody asks me all the time, who's the goat? What about Kobe? Most of the time they go, oh, you right. Good conversations. And then I think, to make it fair to everyone, I think we should go by era.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Cause one thing about sports figures and superstars and anchor men and anchor women, we all come and go.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's true.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

We all come and go. And somebody's gonna bring something different. So I think to make it fair to everyone, I think we should. We should go by eras. For example, when I was coming in, the Chicago Bulls dominated that area. And then Kobe, myself, and the spurs, we dominated that. And then after us, I think probably Boston, Miami had a run. Golden State is dominating this ERA now. So I think it's fair if we did it like that. But, you know, one thing about opinions is everyone has one. Opinions are like hair follicles.

[Interviewer/Host]

Skipped over that one nicely. So what about the Golden State Warriors? You think they win again this year?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah, definitely.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

They have way too much talent, and the way they play is actually a pretty good brand of basketball. Yeah, because when everybody's involved, that's when your teammates rise up. I had to learn that early, that you got to keep everybody involved. That was part of the leadership thing. I had to learn how to be a true leader rather than try to do it by myself. For example, your show's fabulous, right? But you ain't doing it by yourself. You got a hell of a producer. She's a point guard. You got a shooting guard. You got a sound guy who's a power forward. And we win as a team. The business that we're in is not an individual sport. So unless everybody's clicking, imagine if the sound guy didn't have the mic on. We'd be like this right now. And people be like, what did he say? What did he say? So everybody has to be on point. Everybody has to be in sync. So when the team is running beautifully, you have a higher chance of winning that championship.

[Interviewer/Host]

And they could go on for a while. They're all relatively young.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Interviewer/Host]

This could be something we've never seen before. Do you think they keep it together and win five, six titles?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, because a lot of people are coming up for new deals. And as a businessman, you can't pay more than three guys to Max. Can't. Cause it's a business. You gotta make money. Right?

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Get Steph, Clay, Draymond and Duran, kd, who all meet Max Cousins. And Cousins.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah, yeah. So they're gonna break up at some point.

[Interviewer/Host]

Can you give me some hope for my New York Knicks?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No. Which is which? I don't understand.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's crazy.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

If I was the young Shaq with my mindset, because, remember, I'm all about life after basketball, too. Wall Street, Are you kidding me? You know how many times I can go in a. In a. In a restaurant and get some stock tips? Legally, of course, Mr. Irs I would love that. So I don't understand why New York is not a destination for some of these players. I would. I would definitely relish that.

[Interviewer/Host]

That could change, though, this year, theoretically.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I hope so.

[Interviewer/Host]

Maybe they get Zion, kd, Kyrie, something like that.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I hope so. But if I was a young guy, if my son was coming up now, said, go to New York. I got your back, and I'd hook him up with every guy, hey, man, this is a guy from Goldman Sachs, right? This is a guy from this firm. That's what it's all about.

[Interviewer/Host]

LeBron kind of did that right with the Lakers. He's setting himself up for the next.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Chapter, and that's what he's supposed to do.

[Interviewer/Host]

You think you did the right thing going to L. A?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I did. It's a good thing about our stories. There's only a few people that stories go like this, but everybody else's. The regular stories go, ah, Orlando swept Lakers. Lakers are not that good. Phil Jackson. Oh, my God. Oh, they win. They Win. They win. Oh, Shaq and Kobe, they have a problem. Oh, let's get rid of Shaq. Shaq's done. Oh, Shaq goes to Miami with D. Wade right there. Shaq's getting old. Trade him here. Trade him here. Trade him. Shaq has a career enduring injury. What's he gonna do? We don't know. We don't know. Tnt. Emmy. Emmy. Emmy. Emmy. So, you know, that's what life is. And being that I was raised by a military man, when you fall down, you get back up. You get back up.

[Interviewer/Host]

You mentioned tnt. Is that show as much fun to be on as it is to watch?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Because they allow us to utilize our humor. Ernie, let me tell you something about Ernie. Ernie reminds me of you a little bit. Very professional. Ernie is the funniest guy on the set. Don't let Ernie fool you. And then you got Chuck. Chuck's gonna say whatever you want. And you got Kenya. You got me. They allow us to utilize our humor because we figure, look, you're up at 1am we gotta make you laugh.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Most people gotta go to work in the morning. Most people like sports. They want to hear in depth, you know, conversation or interviews about their team. So if we're going to keep you up at 1am we want to make you go to bed like that. Because when you go to bed like that, hopefully you have a great day the next day. Especially if your team won, if your team lost, you're going to be in the mood like this. We want to get you out of that mood.

[Interviewer/Host]

But to me, why it works is, yes, you guys are funny, but the credibility you guys have as hall of Famers to say the things you say, you're not like a sports talk radio guy. You're risking somebody.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Because when I was in fan mode, listening to people, my first question is, how do you know?

[Interviewer/Host]

Right.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I understand, but how do you know? I know. I don't been through every situation in NBA, good and bad, so I know. Not an expert, but I know.

[Interviewer/Host]

What's the one thing, Shaq, in your career, it doesn't have to be on the court.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Off.

[Interviewer/Host]

You're most proud of professionally. As you look back on the chapters you've had along the way, I'm most.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Proud of that I was disciplined enough to continue my education. Because when you're young and you're getting a lot of money, you don't know what to do with it, but you're just following certain steps and you're still successful, you never think about the end, but it's always the end. It's always the end. And a lot of people, for example, there's a lot of ice in this water. It ain't gonna be cold forever. If I leave this here for 30 days, guess what it's gonna be? Room temp, nasty water, right? So it's always an end. The people that don't see the end are the ones that get in trouble. I saw the end from a beginning. And then for me, it wasn't about making money, it was about being able to. Mom, you want to go to Paris? I'll take care of it. Simple stuff, brothers and sisters. Hey, I need a down payment to a house. Here you go. Love you. Simple stuff for me. Want to be able to just. You know what, I'm tired today. Let me go to PJs. Oh, here's my convertible 64 Ford. And like just to be able to maintain, right? And then along the way you just do stuff. You just do stuff. And it keeps coming and it's coming. The stuff that I do is not monetary based. It's joint ventureship based, relationship based, and just children based. Also, I want my kids to be proud of me. So the best thing I did was just continuing to learn, just continue to.

[Interviewer/Host]

Have fun and to do it all on that 25%.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

25%.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's a good lesson.

[Willie Geist]

Thanks so much for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear Shaq answer both burning questions from a very special guest, my nine year old son George.

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[Willie Geist]

Nice.

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[Willie Geist]

S. Welcome back to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Now more of my conversation with Shaquille O'. Neal.

[Interviewer/Host]

So when my son was young, you know, 4, 5, 6 years old, he'd throw questions out from the back seat when we were driving. These philosophical life questions.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Good.

[Interviewer/Host]

And he views you as almost a mythical God in size. And strength loves you. So he asks. These are three honest questions he asked me. Maybe you can help answer. Excuse me, dad, could Shaq just pick up a cannonball and throw it instead of using a cannon.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

To answer your question, young George. Yes. What you have to say to yourself, is the cannonball real? No. So I would get a black ball painted the color of a cannonball. And when I pick it up, you will see the muscles. So it would give you an impression that it's real heavy, but it's not heavy. And then I would throw it, and then you go, man, Shaq's strong, but I'm not that strong. But you can be strong. If you listen to your mommy and daddy and follow your dreams, you can have whatever you want.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's a great answer. That's a great answer. Okay, one more. Dad, together, could you, Shaq and Andre the Giant, lift a car?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yes. Your dad's not gonna do any work. Cause your dad is the director, leader type. If you look at your dad, he has this sexy Ted Kennedy look. I hope when he's done with this, he runs for governor. Your dad looks like a governor, but me and Andre would do most of the work. And then your dad would come in at the end and give us that final push. So, yes.

[Willie Geist]

All right.

[Interviewer/Host]

Actually, this is the last one. Dad, who's stronger? Shaq, Andre the Giant or Bruce Lee?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

I'd have to say me, I think.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's right.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

You don't have to say me. Even though Andre Giant was very strong as a kid, I met him in the airport.

[Willie Geist]

Did you really?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah. And I just shook his hand. He was the strongest guy I ever met in my life. And I tried to be real strong. Cause I was, like, in wrestling mode. Like, I was A kid like, yeah, Shaq. I used to do stuff in my head. Shaq, body slam. Like that. So I was like, Mr. Giant, I'm a fan of hello. And he just shook it. I was like, I was like, damn. My dad was like, you gonna be strong like that one day? I was like, I am. Yep. If you listen to me.

[Interviewer/Host]

He was right.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Oh, yeah, he was right.

[Interviewer/Host]

Thank you, man.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

Appreciate it. My thanks to Shaquille o' Neal for a great conversation. Such a generous, warm, charming guy. He's everything you think he is and what you don't. Here there is what happened after our sit down interview at PJ's Cafe in Georgia. We were supposed to go, just the two of us, to this park where there was a basketball court that we'd found and we were just going to go, the two of us, shoot around and talk a little bit. But when we pulled up, there was already a group of, I'd say they were 11, 12 year old boys, maybe 6th, 7th grade, playing pickup at lunchtime with their teacher there watching. So imagine their surprise when out of that jacked up pickup truck steps Shaquille o', Neal, all seven foot, one of them, jaws dropped. Shaq, a few of them said. And Shaq being Shaq, walked right up to him, brought him into a huddle, gave him a pep talk about life and said, all right, let's play. So we played a game of pickup. I had to guard Shaq, unfortunately, with a bunch of these sixth grade kids from Georgia. It was incredible. I can't imagine what they must have been thinking. I knocked down a jumper. I took Shaq outside, knew I couldn't handle him on the interior, took him outside a little pull up, jumper, hit it. And I think I made Shaq mad because on the next possession he demanded the ball, backed me down and dunked on top of my head like you've seen him do to so many victims.

[Interviewer/Host]

Over the course of his great career.

[Willie Geist]

Thank you again to Shaq. Thank you again to all of you for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast this week to hear more of the full length conversations with all of my guests. Make sure you click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to out check. Tune into Sunday Today every weekend on NBC.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm Willie Geist.

[Willie Geist]

We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

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[Willie Geist]

Experian.