I own a replica Shaquille O’Neal jersey from nearly every team he played for in the NBA. My first tattoo back in the day? The Superman logo, much like O’Neal’s, on the bicep.
That “The World Is Mine” tattoo on my left bicep? That wasn’t inspired by the movie “Scarface.” That was a nod to Shaq and his “TWisM” brand. I bought every rap album he put out. Check out my profile pic on Twitter: It’s me and Shaq representing our fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
So good luck putting together a documentary that’s going to teach me something I don’t know about the most dominant physical force the NBA has seen since Wilt Chamberlain.
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Well, O’Neal opens up on camera in a way that’s rare in “SHAQ,” a four-part documentary series airing on HBO. The first episode debuted Nov. 23, with the next three episodes to follow the next three Wednesdays.
For starters, we learned that Superman has been struggling with insomnia since the death of his sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex from terminal cancer in October 2019 and the death of his Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant in February 2020. Also, O’Neal depended on painkillers to get through games. And he regrets how his infidelity contributed to the end of his marriage.
“At some point as a man, you’ve got to look in the mirror and say I (messed) up, and I did that many a night,” O’Neal told The Athletic. “Trust me.”
Streaming November 23 @HBO @hbomax pic.twitter.com/Y8rtFAi0F3
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) November 15, 2022
O’Neal won four NBA championships and also was the league MVP in 2000. He thrived on the court with a combination of size, strength, skill and athleticism like nothing the sport had ever seen.
But in “SHAQ,” there are more glimpses into the Shaq we don’t see on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” or when he was dominating the game at his peak. There are conversations he never had with Penny Hardaway and conversations he wished he’d had with Bryant before his death. O’Neal fell into the trappings of fame in his personal life, and it cost him his marriage. He was a big kid at times. Too big of a kid sometimes, and it irked people.
It all makes O’Neal a lot more relatable as we see more sides of him. So, if you already liked O’Neal, you’ll probably like him even more.
“I just wanted to show people the real insight of me,” O’Neal said. “Showed you a lot of snippets of who I am, very jovial, very friendly, helpful. Just wanted to show you everything, show you some vulnerable moments. This will be the last time I get vulnerable.”
Series director Rob Alexander was one of those tasked with handling moments when O’Neal opened up, along with fellow director Peter Berg.
Capturing happy Shaq is one thing. That’s the version people like myself became a fan of in the early 1990s, and he remains popular today through his TV work and myriad commercials and endorsements.
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When a person like O’Neal opens up, it’s natural to want to hear more. But it also requires the trust Alexander gained from O’Neal in nearly two years of working on the project.
“Those moments are incredibly delicate,” Alexander said. “You work very hard to allow someone to be that vulnerable, that open with you. I think Shaq is very aware of what he’s presenting. I definitely feel like the environment of us allowed itself to open up to a place of depth that neither of us was anticipating but probably hoping, and you just keep going, you keep pushing.”
Having been through a divorce, I know discussing it is not easy, especially when children are involved. No sensible parent wants to trash the other parent in a public forum. There’s also the fear the children will side with one parent, making a relationship…
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