“I Had to Cut Grass, Walk Dogs, Babysit..”: Shaquille O’Neal Once Took His Michael Jordan Fandom Too Far Only to Face Disappointment

NBA all-time great Shaquille O’Neal won four NBA titles, three Finals MVP awards, and one NBA MVP award. He is one of the very few players to be able to beat Michael Jordan in the 90s. In his prime, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were an unstoppable force.

After winning three titles in a row, MJ decided to shockingly retire from basketball. And the Orlando Magic with Shaquille O’Neal became the most dominant team in the Eastern Conference.

Shaq once revealed some interesting insight about his relationship with Air Jordan sneakers. The Air Jordan sneakers are one of the most popular in the world ever since they came out. It has changed the demographic of the sneaker game forever. And like most kids his age, Shaquille O’Neal wanted the pair as well.

In one of the episodes of ‘Complex‘, the Big Diesel went sneaker shopping with host Joe La Puma. And the host was wearing a pair of Air Jordan 1s. Seeing this O’Neal revealed the time it came out.

Shaq said, “When those came out, everybody had them. So I had to cut grass, walk dogs, babysit. And then when I went to the store, ‘We don’t have size 15s. We got some 13s.’ And I tried them on and I stretched them and I was walking to school. And they was just hurting. That was the last time I had a pair of Jordans.”

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The Los Angeles Lakers legend said that he still played one season wearing the pair. He also said that he tried using hot water to make the shoe more comfortable for him but with no success. During the show, O’Neal also revealed the reason behind signing with Reebok.

Shaquille O’Neal vs. Michael Jordan

After stepping away from the league, Michael Jordan came back after more than a season and the Bulls made the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Orlando Magic and the Bulls faced each other. And Shaquille O?Neal?successfully led his team to a series win over Jordan and the Bulls. However, the Houston Rockets swept the Magic in the NBA Finals.

Similarly, the Magic and the Bulls again faced each other in the playoffs. However, this time it was the Eastern Conference Finals. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were ready. And they steamed past the young Magic team as they comfortably swept them 4-0. Michael Jordan then went on to win another 3-peat with the Bulls.

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Which Air Jordan sneaker is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.