It’s never easy to lose someone close, but for Shaquille O’Neal, the past week was particularly tough. On March 11, the basketball world lost Milwaukee Bucks legend Junior Bridgeman at the age of 71. The Inside the NBA crew was quick to react, but no one felt the loss quite like Shaq. Bridgeman wasn’t just a former player—he was an inspiration.

Then, just a day later, another gut punch. Former NBA center Oliver Miller passed away at 54, leaving behind an unfulfilled wish. “I want to live long because I have grandkids now. I want to be able to see them graduate, I want to be able to see them grow up, I want to be able to see them become good young kids,” Miller said in 2018. Tragically, cancer cut his life short before he could see those moments. Two devastating losses in the span of 24 hours—it was enough to shake anyone.

And for Shaq, it did just that. Speaking on It’s Giving-Podcast, he admitted how the back-to-back losses changed his outlook. “I’m at a, you know, things happen every day where it changes your life. Personal friend of mine died the other day, so it’s making me become more focused. And then another friend passed away the next day, Oliver Miller, basketball player, at 54,” he shared.

Now, Shaq is rethinking his approach to life. “So, you know, I know at this point in my life, I have to become a little bit more serious,” he explained. And with that, he’s adjusting his balance—trying to become 20% more serious in life.

“Have to modulate it a little differently. Right now, I’m 90-10. 90 humorous, 10 serious. I’m gonna probably bring it down to 70-30,” he said on the podcast. “You know, a lot of people can’t take the humor sometimes, and sometimes you offend people. So I may have to start doing little things differently, but I don’t know yet.”

Losing two close friends was a wake-up call, and for Shaq, that means taking life just a little more seriously.

Shaquille O’Neal remembers lost friend

When Junior Bridgeman’s news broke out, Shaquille O’Neal was on the Inside the NBA. There, Shaq admitted, “This one really hit hard for me.” It wasn’t just admiration—Shaq had shaped his own business journey by following Bridgeman’s lead. “A lot of people don’t know this, but I’ve patterned my whole business acumen after Junior Bridgeman.”

Even more heartbreaking, Shaq had just spoken to Bridgeman about a new business venture just a day ago. “I just actually talked to him the other day to get ready to do business,” he revealed, though he didn’t share further details.

But perhaps the biggest impact Bridgeman left on Shaq was his willingness to help. “He opened the book and… matter of fact, he was like, ‘I’ll help you, I’ll make a call for you.’” That generosity led Shaq into a major deal with Papa John’s in 2019, a move that brought him stock, endorsements, and a seat on the board.

So when the news broke, Shaq was shaken. “I got the news at home, and I had to sit down for a while. I actually forgot we got to work. That’s why I was kind of running late.” Losing Bridgeman wasn’t just losing a friend—it was losing a mentor, a blueprint, and a piece of his own journey.