Shaquille O'Neal Says A Moment From His Childhood Inspired Him To Play In NBA

As a child, O'Neal went to Madison Square Garden with his father to watch Julius Erving play. After that, he had a new goal.

Shaquille O'Neal didn't always dream of becoming an NBA superstar.

"There was a moment that made me want to become an NBA player because I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent," O'Neal said in an interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN. "I was more into football. I was more into hurting people."

O'Neal started paying attention to the sport after Jon Koncak signed a six-year, $13 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks in 1989, a stunningly large deal for a reserve at the time. 

His goal to become an NBA player was cemented shortly after that. 

"My father takes me to a game at Madison Square Garden, we're sitting up top," O'Neal said. "I know who Dr. J is, he's smooth, I like him because he's smooth, [has an] afro. He goes baseline and throws it down, crowd goes crazy. That's when I look at my father and say, 'You know what, this is what I want to do when I get older.'

"So shoutout to Dr. J because when he went baseline and the crowd went crazy, it was just like all of the basketball angels entered my body right there. I kind of got scared and I just felt something I never felt before. I went home and I started practicing and I just really became good and stuck with it. So shoutout to Julius Erving for help creating the character known as Shaq."

That one moment forever changed the landscape of the NBA.

O'Neal went on to become a four-time NBA champion, winning three-straight titles with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and one with the Miami Heat in 2006. 

He was a three-time Finals MVP, a one-time regular season MVP in 2000 and a 15-time All-Star.