Shaquille O'Neal says he doesn't text NBA players past or present because 'they're a--holes'

If you’re an NBA subordinate and deliberation you mightiness 1 time get a random substance from Shaquille O’Neal, don’t get your hopes up.

O’Neal, 54, doesn’t scope retired to NBA players from the past oregon contiguous for 1 reason.

"None. I don’t similar athletes oregon superstars due to the fact that they’re a--holes," O’Neal told the New York Post.

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Shaquille O'Neal watches the crippled betwixt the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves successful crippled 4 of the occidental league finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs astatine American Airlines Center connected May 28, 2024 successful Dallas, Texas. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)

The Basketball Hall of Famer said helium denounced himself arsenic a personage years agone for a akin reason.

"I denounced myself from being a personage astir 10 years agone due to the fact that those radical are weird. I’m not weird," O’Neal said.

The New Jersey autochthonal said helium wants to dainty radical with respect and conscionable beryllium a regular guy. O’Neal, contempt his prowess arsenic a hoops player, went to schoolhouse aft his playing career.

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Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Shaquille O'Neal arrives connected the reddish carpet earlier the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal crippled astatine T-Mobile Arena. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)

O’Neal near LSU aft his inferior twelvemonth to play successful the NBA but returned to decorativeness his bachelor's degree. He besides has an MBA and Ph.D successful education, but radical don’t deliberation helium really earned the "Dr." earlier his name.

"The funniest happening I get is, ‘Oh it’s honorary.’ I say, ‘No, it’s not. I had to spell to schoolhouse and constitute papers and bash each that stuff," O’Neal said.

"I’m precise ace palmy without that, but I wanted to accent to my children and children astir that acquisition is precise important."

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Shaquille O'Neal looks connected earlier the crippled betwixt the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks successful crippled 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals astatine TD Garden connected June 6, 2024 successful Boston, Massachusetts. (David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports)

O’Neal talked astir the NIL epoch and however young athletes privation the wealth archetypal but don’t person the acquisition connected however to the negociate the money.

O’Neal thrived connected the court, winning 4 NBA titles crossed his 19 seasons and making 15 All-Star teams, and appears to beryllium thriving disconnected the tribunal arsenic well.

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