NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, renowned for his dominant presence on the basketball court, once revealed an intriguing list of fellow NBA stars he’d be interested in facing in a mixed martial arts (MMA) setting.
During a 2011 appearance on HD Net’s Inside MMA, the 7’1″ former champion, who amassed four NBA titles and an MVP award during his illustrious career, shared his thoughts on potential matchups.
“I don’t know about this new NBA … so I’m going to answer that with some old-school players,” O’Neal said, before naming his Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley, Utah Jazz’s Karl Malone, Xavier McDaniel, and New York Knicks’ Charles Oakley.
The final name on his list was former Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, whom O’Neal included “to throw a white guy in there.” O’Neal referenced a notable incident involving Ainge, saying, “Danny Ainge one time bit Tree Rollins’ finger almost off in a match.”
When asked about contemporary NBA players, O’Neal mentioned Ron Artest as a worthy opponent. Artest, known for his involvement in the 2004 “Malice at the Palace” incident between Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, responded to O’Neal’s suggestion on Twitter (now X).
“I won’t do mma with shaq because they don’t pay It would have to be boxing Hbo or ppv hbo or showtime,” Artest wrote. “My top four boxing matches in the ring only would be Shaq/kimbo slice/Ben Wallace/and klitschko But only boxing And only in the ring.”
O’Neal, who has an estimated net worth of $500 million, has previously ventured into combat sports, participating in exhibition boxing contests against former world champions Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Moseley for his reality TV series “Shaq Vs.”
Beyond sports, O’Neal has established himself as a successful TV analyst, businessman, and entertainer, having released five rap albums and appeared in numerous films.
