Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t always the cheerful and funny personality we know today. In his early years with the NBA, Shaq had anger issues and it showed up on the court quite often. Even outside of the sport, Shaq has admitted to being problematic to his ex-wife for the same reason. Although on the court it can pass off as being passionate about the game, when it enters one’s home, it is surely a considerable problem.

Regardless of his on-court antics, Shaq’s passion gave the NBA world one of its most fiercely competitive leaguers. Recently, one of his ex-teammates from the Los Angeles Lakers revealed how big a menace Shaq could prove to be – unfortunately, his unvented fury from the court used to be borne by the locker room after a bad day at play!

Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-teammate explains how his hunger to succeed used to cause havoc

Shaq is built like a giant. Standing at 7 foot 1, he often became a sought-after target for defenders. With the passion that he brought to the game, it was impossible for Shaq to not react when a foul was not called by the refs! After a series of such events, Shaq would then take matters into his own hands.

Recently, former fellow Laker Nick Van Exel revealed how big a problem Shaq could be in their locker room. Van Exel said, “he [Shaq] was hungry,” in his approach to the game and that is why he often came out of a rough match like an angry person.

Van Exel explained what it was like to share the locker room with the Big Man during his time with the Lakers. He said, “There would be nights where he would come in after a game, after a bad night or if the officials were against him, he’d come in tearing shit off the bathroom stalls.”

Van Exel said that this was due to Shaq’s hunger to always win and improve his game. Van Exel added, “He just was competitive & he wanted to win.”

An athlete’s urge to constantly win and be better at their game is understandable. However, when their anger crosses the boundaries of their home, it’s decidedly a different story. Likewise, it is known from Shaq’s confessions that in addition to his menace for the Lakers locker room, he used to end up creating problems for his wife at their home too.

Read More: “I Would Tear My House Up”: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Pays $20,000 to Ex-Wife Shaunie Every Month, Admits Anger Issues During Marriage

Shaq admitted to creating problems at home before his kids were born

Although he is a wise gentleman most of the time now, Shaq’s stories of him being a troublemaker in his early days are well known. The Big Man has admitted to being a menace at home for his wife as well.

In an interview last year, he explained his irrational behavior at home before his kids were born. He said, “Before I had kids, I’d just tear my house up.” The Big Aristotle has changed a lot as an Individual over the years. Now in understandably a more mature phase, Shaq talks about turning off “the switch” when he gets home. If only the Lakers had had a remote control!

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