Shaquille O’Neal likely would’ve been just as much of a beast in the NFL as he was in the NBA.
The 7-foot-1-inch, 325-pound center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association recently spoke on what position he would’ve played had he continued his pursuit of getting to the NFL.
Comedian Kountry Wayne asked Shaquille O’Neal on his podcast if he had ever thought about playing football and confirmed that he had previously played tight end.
Comedian Kountry Wayne: “What position you played?”
Shaq: “I played tight end.”
“And I thought about going to the NFL, but then my father came home one day, and he hit me in the back of the head with this paper.
Shaq went on to state that the paper talked about a player from Atlanta named Jo Koncak. Shaq noted that he signed a deal for $15 million over three years.
Shaq stated he didn’t think he had enough for football, so he switched to basketball and started to bring that football physicality to basketball.
Shaq originally wanted to play Tight-End in the NFL but ultimately decided to play basketball because the NBA paid better.
Imagine Shaq as a TE 😳
(via @bigpodwithshaq)pic.twitter.com/73P7a3iVpB
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 12, 2024
Just looking at his highlights, you will see just how much punishment Shaq gave to his opponents.
Shaquille O’Neal Previously Slammed NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe Who Played The Same Position As Him
Earlier this year, an insane feud started between retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe.
The ongoing feud began when Sharpe accused O’Neal of being jealous of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who had just won his third NBA MVP title.
Sharpe said on the podcast: “Shaq should have five MVPs. He sees a guy like Nikola Jokic, that’s not as dominant as him and gets three in four years.”
O’Neal took to Instagram with a lengthy message for Sharpe.
In his caption, O’Neal said Sharpe mistook him “sticking up” for Gilgeous-Alexander as “jealousy of Joker.”
“Shows how smart you are and how you say anything to get clicks. So here’s some click bait for you,” O’Neal continued, suggesting that Sharpe “can’t speak on” him because he isn’t “ranked in the top ten” in his “profession.”
O’Neal told Sharpe, “Don’t forget I know what you did to get were [sic] you at,” and added, “me jealous, sounds like you jealous.”
