“My Agent Would Have Sued Him”: Shaq’s $400 Million Empire Was Once in Jeopardy as Ex-NBA Rival Recalls On-Court Brawl With Lakers Legend

While today’s fans know Shaquille O’Neal as a fun-loving analyst on TNT, Diesel had numerous physical altercations during his playing days. From Alvin Robertson to Chris Dudley, many players have faced the wrath of the 4x NBA champ. Even though there were no major consequences for these fights, one incident could have changed it all. Former Chicago Bulls center, Brad Miller’s hard foul on Shaq brought out his livid side which led to serious consequences. If one thing had changed that day, Shaq would have lost most of his now $400 million empire.

Miller, who joined former NBA veterans Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on the All The Smoke podcast, shared interesting details of his fight with O’Neal. On January 12, 2002, during the fourth quarter of a Bulls vs the Los Angeles Lakers game, Miller and Charles Oakley continued to foul Shaquille O’Neal, who was always a poor free throw shooter. The Lakers were up 3 points, and the only way to stop Shaq was by fouling. However, that one foul on Shaq was too hard, and thus it triggered him. 

Miller detailed, “He[Shaq] can’t make free throws. So foul the f*** out of him. Don’t let him dunk on you. It’s easy to do. And it was Oakley that beat the s*** out of him and me. That’s why I was walking away.” However, Shaq mistook that Miller made the hard contact. The furious 7ft giant took a full swing in an attempt to knock Miller out, but luckily, it hit only the tip of his left ear.   

Miller added, “It nicked the s*** out of my ear, and then by the time I turned…I’m literally underneath the tunnel of Bulls players.” The officials and a few players separated Shaq and Miller. Fortunately, Miller escaped Shaq’s punch. However, in case Shaq had landed that jab, Miller revealed that he would have used his agent to sue the LA giant. 

“He’s cool about it, but I ain’t really f*** with him. I need to bring up because my agent would have sued him and I’d be a part of – How many damn companies he got? I’ll take 5% of every company,” Miller revealed. 

At the same time, Miller accepted that he would have been “sucking through a straw” if Shaq had landed that blow. Well, he’s called the Big Aristotle for a reason!

What were the consequences of this physical altercation between Brad Miller and Shaquille O’Neal? 

The NBA decided to fine the two stars for setting a wrong example. Shaq had to pay the most, although he did not start this. The league announced that Shaq was fined $15k along with a three-game suspension. Miller, on the other hand, was suspended for just one game. Charles Oakley, who initiated contact with Shaq, got a 2 game suspension because he had too many flagrant fouls. 

Before the infamous Malice at the Palace, this was one of the biggest fights in the NBA that opened a lot of eyes. Fans still today wonder what would have happened if Shaq had landed that punch. It’s safe to say that it would have led to some serious issues for Miller. But thankfully, nothing of that sort happened. Oh, it could have also reduced Shaq’s $400 million net worth by a huge margin!