Shaquille O’Neal reveals the one year that changed his life forever

Shaquille O’Neal has revealed how one extraordinary year took him from an Olympic gold medal and a starring role in Kazaam.

The 54-year-old basketball legend reflected on 1996 while speaking to People about his new partnership with General Mills, saying the 12 months of success forced him to maintain a level of focus that helped shape the rest of his career.

During that single year, Shaquille joined the Los Angeles Lakers after four seasons with the Orlando Magic, represented the United States at the Atlanta Olympics, was selected for the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team, released his third studio album, You Can’t Stop the Reign, and starred as a genie in the fantasy comedy Kazaam.

Shaquille said: “That was probably one of my years where I had to be focused every day.”

He added: “I’m a guy that likes to go up and down with my focus on purpose, of course, because I always like to get away from it and then get back. But that year, there was so much coming, so much expectation, so many opportunities.”

Shaquille had established himself as one of basketball’s biggest stars with the Orlando Magic after entering the NBA in 1992, but his move to the Lakers in 1996 began the defining period of his playing career.

He said: “I just had to be so focused. But it taught me a lot. It taught me that if you put your mind to something, you can definitely get it done.”

Shaquille added: “So the fact that I was able to do that and delegate certain things to certain people and still be a part of that growth, it was a wonderful thing.”

The 7ft 1in tall centre subsequently formed one of the NBA’s most celebrated partnerships with Kobe Bryant, who was 41 when he died in 2020.

Together they helped the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships between 2000 and 2002, with Shaquille collecting the NBA Finals MVP award in all three series.

He later won a fourth championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 before ending a 19-season NBA career that also included spells with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

Shaquille said the intensity of 1996 also changed him away from basketball.

He added: “It helped me say, ‘You know what? Maybe I should do this way and this way and that way.’ Because I like exploring things, and if they don’t work, I know that that wasn’t the right way. I like to delete that and then just try something else.”

Shaquille added: “I have an athlete’s mind. I will keep trying until I win.”