Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most recognizable names in NBA history. The former professional basketball player has been around the block a few times, but he’s still going strong. However, despite the fact that O’Neal has spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Shaquille O’Neal. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Missed Half of His Free Throws. O’Neal only made 52.7 percent of his regular season attempts at free throws. This is in stark contrast to his amazing ability to underhandedly make a shot from underneath the rim.
Number Fourteen: He Made a Staggering Amount of Free Throw Attempts. We already mentioned O’Neal’s abysmal record from the free throw line, but another interesting tidbit is that he made an incredible 11,252 free throw attempts in his career with the NBA.
Number Thirteen: He Has a Platinum Album. In 1993, O’Neal released Shaq Diesel, which was his foray into the world of rap. Though many people made fun of him for the attempt, the album was actually quite successful and was even certified Platinum.
Number Twelve: He Is a Fan of the WWE. In fact, O’Neal is incredibly dedicated to the WWE, and he has appeared on WWE Raw several times. He has been so involved with the wrestling world that rumors were even going around for some time that he would be signed to a WrestleMania match against The Big Show.
Number Eleven: He Only Made One Three-Pointer. It’s true! In his career with the NBA, O’Neal only made one three-pointer shot. Though he attempted 22 of them, he was able to convert only one. Statistically, that’s a 4.5 percent success rate.
Number Ten: He Is a Fan of MMA. We already mentioned that Shaq is big on the WWE, but did you know he is into mixed martial arts as well? O’Neal started training in MMA while he was still with the NBA.
Number Nine: He Is a Deputy Marshal. O’Neal has had a fascination with the police force since his days in the NBA, and he even trained with actual officers in Los Angeles. For his efforts and interest, O’Neal was named an honorary United States Deputy Marshal in 2005.