Four NBA Championships, “23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks in 1,207 regular-season games.” These stats might not be enough to sum up Shaquille O’Neal’s illustrious career in the NBA world. But have you ever imagined, what would have been if Big Shamrock was in the NFL world? Now, you must be wondering maybe he would have fit for any defensive role due to his 7’1” physique, but here’s the catch.

In the latest episode of The CW Networks “Inside the NFL,” Shaquille O’Neal joined the show hosts and former footballers, Chris Long and Chad Johnson. During the discussion, when Johnson asked whom he thought could fit well in the NFL from the NBA world. To which, O’Neal took a couple of names, before calling his name out.

So, what happened was, after the host asked this question, Shaquille O’Neal said, “I’m going to go with (point guard) Russell Westbrook, number 1.” He then paused for a bit before naming Lebron James, and “an old player who really was very excellent at football, Allen Iverson.” To which, the hosts went “That’s really a good choice.” But little did they know, O’Neal was about to count himself, as he added, “And me” as a tight end.

However, it didn’t fit well with the host, especially Johnson, who commented that Shaquille O’Neal is “too big and too much of a target” to play as TE. But the former basketball player didn’t hesitate to give a funny response to this, saying, “No, I’m not. You know what they would call me? They would call me The Black Kelce.” Hilarious! His response had the hosts bursting into laughter on the show, as he reflected himself as the Chiefs TE, Travis Kelce.

Well, it seems a comic moment for all, but one factor about Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t be denied!

Shaquille O’Neal was actually a tight end?

Yes! Shaquille O’Neal could have been a beast in the NFL, just like he was in the NBA. So, can you imagine him playing at tight end? Well, it’s true that at 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, he would have been unstoppable! But what held him back in choosing the NFL over the NBA?

Revealing the answer to this, O’Neal once joined a podcast with comedian Kountry Wayne. There he shared how he played tight end and even considered going pro. But everything changed when his dad came home one day and hit him with a newspaper. Why? Well, because of the headline printed on it! It was written that an Atlanta player named Jo Koncak signed a $15 million deal in the NBA. That was a huge deal during that time, and hence, that was it when Shaq decided to switch to the NBA from the NFL. He thought, “Why not basketball?”

Dov Kleiman also reported this news in August, saying, “Shaq originally wanted to play Tight-End in the NFL but ultimately decided to play basketball because the NBA paid better.” So, this means just because he was to be paid more than the NFL, Shaquille O’Neal decided to switch his career.

And from then on, he brought his football toughness to the hardwood, and the rest is history!

Meanwhile, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football, NIL, and much more.