There are a lot of other factors apart from his skills that helped Shaquille O’Neal win multiple championships. During his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, his tandem with Kobe Bryant made them an unstoppable force. But what pushed Shaq so much? Music has played a part for many, especially for Shaq. Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg are two of the most influential rappers who have inspired several NBA veterans, and O’Neal was no different. The 4x NBA champion credited two iconic music record companies for helping him win titles.

O’Neal was arguably the best player in the league during the turn of the century. Not only did he win an MVP award, but he also won 3 Finals MVPs as the Lakers thrashed their opponents on their way to a historic three-peat. His time in LA alone made him one of the greatest players of all time. 

Shaquille O’Neal reveals his motivating factor in all three championships with the Lakers

After Michael Jordan’s double three-peat with the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers remain the last team to complete a three-peat. The Black Mamba and the Big Diesel complemented each other perfectly. While Bryant’s mentality was enough to motivate him, the 2000 MVP needed something else to bring out the fire within him.

As mentioned above, a few rappers did inspire Shaq. However, the 51-year-old believes nothing comes close to two of his favorite music records, ‘No Limit’ and ‘Death Row’, who have a collective net worth of around $100 million. 

Found by Master P in the early 90s, ‘No Limit’ produced some of the best hip-hop albums back in the day. Shaq shared a video in his Instagram story, to acknowledge these records. The Lakers legend revealed in the video, “There’s only two companies I can thank to help me to win a championship. ‘No limit’ and ‘DeathRow.” That wasn’t it, however.

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Shaq also added, “So between Master P and Snoop and Suge Knight and Lil Wayne and all those guys, ‘No Limit’ and ‘Death Row’, I want to thank you guys for helping me win three championships in a row.”

Shaq and music are inseparable! Not only did he get inspiration from some rap icons, but he became a successful rapper himself.

Shaquille O’Neal and his love for hip-hop

It is safe to say that Shaq would have joined the hip-hop industry if he decided not to play basketball. The Big Diesel managed to concentrate on music early in his career. However, that distracted him from basketball. Anyhow, Shaq has never failed to credit a few rap sensations who inspired him. 

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Apart from Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne, Notorious B.I.G was one of Shaq’s favorite artists. A few more are Jaz-Z, Nas, Redman, and Ice Cube. The former Lakers star has even collaborated with a few above-mentioned artists on his four studio albums.

Do you think Shaq might have not won championships if he had not taken inspiration from these rappers? Share it in the comments below!