“This Dude Tried to Mess My Money Up”: 17-Year-Old Shaquille O’Neal Resorted to Violence That Forced a Tough Decision on His Parents

When compared to high school basketball, college-level basketball is completely different. Here, a majority of the players are grooming themselves to enter the NBA Draft. They are more competitive, and serious about their game. Shaquille O’Neal tasted this level of basketball during his freshmen year at Louisiana State University. People knew of him but didn’t witness his explosive game until sophomore year. From then on, he was simply unstoppable to the extent that college-level basketball wasn’t challenging enough.

Following his sophomore year, Shaq approached his parents with the idea of entering the draft. Both his parents, Philip and Lucille, were vehemently against it. While his mother proved to him that he wasn’t ready for the big leagues, his father simply said, “We’ve been broke for 17 years of your life, we can be broke for 18″. As the good son he is, Shaq went back to playing college basketball. But soon, things changed.

What prompted Shaquille O’Neal to enter the drafts?

The opposition team drew up plays to stop the Big Aristotle. These plays included aggressive defense strategies and getting physical on the court. This would end in fouls which sent Shaq to the free-throw line. For the four-time champion, this was a sign of respect. On the HBO docuseries named ‘Shaq’, he said, “Showed me a sign of respect. I can’t stop you man. I’m sorry”.

However, one game, in particular, resulted in violence and punches being thrown. During a play on the paint, Carlus Groves from a college in Tennessee attempted to pull Shaq down while he jumped up to shoot. While furious at Groves, Shaq resorted to taking a swing at him. The three-time Finals MVP said, “The reason why I swung at Carlus Groves was because, in my mind, this dude’s trying to mess my money up”.

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By money, Shaq meant his chances at playing in the big leagues. As the Hall of Famer attacked Groves, chaos broke loose. LSU Coach Dale Brown decided to take matters into his own hands and attacked Groves as well. As Shaq puts it, Brown was right there by Shaq’s side supporting him even in violence. This incident was a big sign for Brown, as he encouraged the NBA Legend’s parents to allow him to be drafted into the NBA.

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Following this, Shaq stood his ground and convinced his parents. His parents too realized that their son was simply too skilled for college ball. Months later, Orlando Magic drafted Shaq and the rest, well, is history.