Shaquille O’Neal wants to make sure others learn from his past mistakes.
The NBA legend recently shared some of his wisdom with NFL star Jason Kelce on the topic of retirement in an effort to make sure he doesn’t make the same “dumb—” mistakes O’Neal did.
Shaquille O’Neal Talked Retirement With Jason Kelce On His A Recent Podcast Episode
During a recent episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” O’Neal and Kelce talked retirement and the feelings that go along with it. While Kelce hasn’t made a decision on whether or not he will retire now or continue playing football a little longer, many conversations revolve around possible retirement.
O’Neal, 51, explained why he decided to start DJ’ing after retiring from the NBA after Kelce discussed having a lot of opportunities waiting for him after retiring. He explained that the adrenaline rush he gets from DJ’ing is reminiscent of his days on the court as an NBA star.
He then shared some seasoned advice for the 36-year-old Philadelphia Eagles center.
“My advice to you is that if you are going to retire, accept it,” O’Neal told Kelce. “Enjoy your family, brother. I made a lot of dumb— mistakes to where I lost my family, and I didn’t have anybody. That’s not the case for you. So, enjoy your beautiful wife, enjoy your beautiful kids and never dwell on what we had.”
O’Neal continued to share a little of his backstory.
“What we had is what we got. You got the ring. People know who you are. Enjoy,” he said. “Because again, I was an idiot. And I’ve talked about it a long time. Lost my whole family. I’m in a 100,000-square-foot house by myself.”
Many fans took to the comment section of a clip of the podcast on Instagram to talk about how “real” O’Neal is for his advice and admitting where he’s gone wrong.
“Shaq is so awesome! The way this guy is listening to him……❤,” one person wrote. Another added, “Sometimes mistakes and maturing wises us up ❤️🙏🏻.”
One other viewer shared, “You are a great man, we all make mistakes but it’s what we learn. You are a teacher to others with your words and soul. And I don’t even like basketball but you I do like. ❤”
Shaquille O’Neal Opened Up About His Past Mistakes In His Book
The NBA champion shared his life story in his 2011 book, “Shaq Uncut: My Story.” He admitted to not being the “best partner” and revealed that he’s “learning now.”
O’Neal is father to six children, sons Shareef and Shaquir and daughters Amirah and Me’arah with ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal, daughter Taahirah with former girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh, and stepson Myles from Shaunie’s previous relationship. O’Neal and Shaunie were married for seven years, splitting in 2009.
“At one time, my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy, but I admit it – I was a guy. I was a guy with too many options,” he wrote in his book. “Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me. In my mind, I never did it disrespectfully, but obviously I shouldn’t have done it at all.”
He also revealed that he wasn’t “the best partner.”
“It wasn’t the big stuff, it was the small stuff, and that’s my fault,” he wrote. “I had things to do. I was trying to win, trying to make some money. I admit I wasn’t the best partner. I just didn’t know how. I’m learning now.”
Shaunie Henderson’s Tell-All Memoir Will Be Released In May
O’Neal’s ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson, is about to release her tell-all memoir and O’Neal isn’t worried one bit about what’s in it. He even supports her new book by sharing information about it on his social media.
“uh oh naaa im just playing congrats @iamshaunie. pre sale link info in @iamshaunie bio,” he captioned a photo of her book cover on Instagram.
Henderson told PEOPLE that O’Neal has no idea what’s in the book about him yet.
“[Shaquille] has not read it. I haven’t shared it with anybody but my husband and my publicist at this point,” she told PEOPLE. “Anybody that’s in it, I think they deserve to know what’s in it before everybody else does.”
Henderson also said she’s not “throwing him under the bus” in the chapters that reflect their journey together. She said that O’Neal’s public confessions about what ended their marriage made it slightly easier for her to speak her truth because “he told on himself.”
“Anything involving Shaquille is always a sketchy thing because he is who he is, and despite what our story is, no one ever wants to hear what could come across as not the greatest reputation,” she continued.
“I’m literally telling my story and my journey, which he was a part of. So I’ve always been a little nervous about that, but I think I did a good job at sharing my story without destroying him because that’s not my intent at all, ever.”