The stories of young and naive Shaq are boundless. Many of them are from the big man himself. But those who played with Shaquille O’Neal in his career have stories of their own. Dennis Scott had started his NBA career before Shaq and played alongside him when the Orlando Magic picked him in 1992. He’s seen firsthand the rookie’s desire to make it big.

It’s hard to picture a naive and pure Shaq behind that prankster. But Dennis Scott said that’s exactly what the then Orlando Magic rookie was. “That was the purity of who he is and why he’s such a gentle giant to this day, so jovial and fun to be around,” Scott described the young LSU upstart.

He traveled a lot due to his military dad’s career, but Scott said O’Neal only got a taste of the glamorous NBA life when he first arrived in Los Angeles. During that trip, he witnessed an exchange between Shaq and his agent that stuck with him.

“We were playing an exhibition game in Anaheim. He always sat in the back of the bus. At the time, his agent, Leonard Armato, said, ‘Hey Shaq, I think you’re going to be the first $100 million player. Shaq goes, ‘$100 million?’ I’m going to be able to go anywhere! I said, ‘You can’t go anywhere now. What are you talking about?’ He was that naive.”

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Scott would say O’Neal got his big contract after Alonzo Mourning. “The rest is history. The early Shaq was so fun to be around because he was trying to figure out how to be a megastar on the fly.” O’Neal was always trying to end his family’s financial hardships by making it big in the NBA. So he did try to go big “on the fly.”

Shaquille O’Neal’s million-dollar bid to stay

Magic will remain special to Shaq as his first team. He’s even open to joining the ownership group if the opportunity ever arises. He wished he’d be the first player whose Orlando number is retired to the rafters too.

O’Neal was in Orlando till 1996 before becoming a free agent. In his 2011 book, Shaq: Uncut, he revealed he naively demanded a $150 million extension from Magic. It was not a serious demand, he just wanted to stay in Orlando. But a local publication’s poll revealed that the city didn’t see him worth that figure. He thought he was worth more than the $80 million offer and ultimately walked away from Magic.

Leonard Armato saw he had potential in Los Angeles. So in swooped Jerry West with a $120 million offer that brought Shaq to the Lakers. Like he told Armato, while Scott was listening, Shaq could go anywhere.

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