Big Diesel has a big grudge. Over two decades later when his first championship hope in purple and gold slipped out of his hands, Shaquille O’Neal’s slammed an entire arena. He traveled to major cities during his playing career, and formulated his likes and dislikes about each of them. He listed cities he enjoyed and cities he didn’t to GQ when he revealed his strong distaste for a certain city. And he has strong reasons for this.

His animosity with this arena and its team began way back in 1997. He is still sore about how the Playoffs went that year. Those feelings have resurfaced in 2023.

Shaquille O’Neal’s grudge about playoffs loss

While talking about his travel adventures to GQ, Shaquille O’Neal also revealed what’s low on the list of places he’s visited. Utah and Milwaukee’s lack of nightlife doesn’t appeal to this party man. But as an NBA player, Utah remains his least favorite arena.

“Utah, because they got all the calls! Always flopping. Once you got into foul trouble, you were not going to have a good game.” Given his strong emotions about it, the mag asked if he felt he was refereed differently in Utah. “Oh yeah, everyone was! Those cheating b*****ds in Utah.”

Long before this interview, Shaq was calling out the state and its NBA team for calling him. The most infamous incident was in 1997, when Shaq was a newly minted Laker and Kobe Bryant was the rookie.

The Los Angeles Lakers were playing against Utah Jazz in the NBA Playoffs. Jazz eliminated the Shaq-Kobe squad in the second round in an overtime playoff loss. O’Neal got fouled out with 1:46 minutes left in regulation. Karl Malone, who did it, was not called out for a previous foul on O’Neal according to most viewers’ opinions.

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This isn’t the only first or last time Shaq has commented on Utah referees’ foul-calling opinions. He was pretty outspoken after the 1997 playoff too.

Utah gets fouled out by Shaq

Shaq’s TNT bestie, Charles Barkley said, “Nothing to do in this boring a** city.” O’Neal was also in agreement even when the Inside Guys earned the wrath of an entire city. He won’t be hurting about it because the mutual back and forth has gone all the way to 1997.

Then 25-year-old Shaq was called for a total of five fouls throughout the second round of the playoffs. “Shouldn’t be that way,” he said after the game. ”I’m an All-Star, too. I’m on that list, too. But that just goes with the more-years stuff. He’s got more years. If it’d been me, they’d have thrown me out.”

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The Lakers’ 7’1″ center would be the literal center of attention in a 1998 game too. Fouled out in Utah, Shaq wouldn’t get a chance to score till the second quarter. Lakers fans had been crying foul throughout the entire game.

What do you think about Shaq’s historic enmity with this arena? Let us know in the comments.