The Real Reason Shaquille O’Neal Threw Away His 1996 Olympic Gold Medal

35-year-old American quarterback Kirk Cousins was roped in as a special guest for ‘The Big Podcast’. The Atlanta Falcons star took this as an opportunity to share how big of a Shaquille O’Neal fan he was. Cousins revealed he had Shaq’s 1996 Team USA Olympics jersey, but playing on this big stage was, perhaps, not a huge achievement for the Los Angeles Lakers legend. The NFL star’s attempt to flex quickly turned into a rant session from Shaq, who revealed why he threw away his 1996 Olympic gold medal. 

Cousins shared, “I actually had his 96 Dream Team jersey. We got that one in Kohl’s…Did you enjoy the Olympics?”. Shaq replied, “Yes and a no. Lenny Wilkens(former NBA coach) only played me 10 minutes”. Cousins thought Shaq couldn’t get a lot of minutes because that was only his third year in the NBA. However, Shaq was already a beast back then, and he was arguably a top-10 player in the league. 

Shaq continued his frustration, “The Olympic games ’96, I played throughout, helped them, comeback, win games. In the gold medal game, Lenny Wilkens says, ‘Hey this is probably Dave Robinson’s last game, so he is going to get more minutes’...But he didn’t play me at all until the last two minutes.” Well, this triggered Shaq. He confirmed that “I was so pissed after the ceremony, I drove home in my uniform and threw the goddamn medal out of the window. I threw it away on the highway.” Shaq played a total of 5 minutes in the gold medal game, and he had only 2 points. 

Shaq decided to show Team USA that he was frustrated by Coach Wilkens’ decision. It did not stop with just throwing the gold medal away. 

Shaq declined an Olympics invite from Team USA in 2000 

 Shaq did not state that the restricted minutes were the reason behind this decision. However, he hinted at it now and then. He got an invite to play in the 2000 Olympics in 1999, and he said, “Thanks for picking me the first two times…but this time, I’ll probably decline”. When asked why, he replied, “They got Tim [Duncan] and Alonzo and Vin Baker…That should be enough.” He also shared that he already has a gold medal, so he was not interested in joining the USA roster. 

Read more: ‘I’m the Best Center Out Here’: When Shaquille O’ Neal Got Mad at Reggie Miller for Not Passing to Him During 1996 Olympics

However, many believed that Welkins’ decision to play him for just two minutes in the gold medal game was the reason behind the decline. Shaq mentioned in another interview, “It was David Robinson’s third Olympics and my first. So you can’t give me some time? I was really disappointed.” Well, these statements say it all! 

Read more: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Has 2 Gold Medals in His Bag, Puts an Agonized Steve Kerr’s Realization on Display