When you’ve built a basketball résumé like Shaquille O’Neal’s, you’d think there wouldn’t be much left to second-guess.
After all, we’re talking about a four-time NBA champion, three-time consecutive NBA Finals MVP, league MVP, 15-time All-Star, Hall of Famer, and one of the most unstoppable forces to ever step onto a basketball court. Defenders bounced off him, rims feared him, and opposing coaches spent sleepless nights trying to figure out how to slow him down.
Yet even The Big Diesel has a few “what if” moments.
During a recent conversation with Graham Bensinger, Shaq revealed that there are exactly three things about his incredible career that still stick with him. Surprisingly, none of them involve winning another championship or collecting more trophies.
Instead, they all come down to numbers.
“The only regrets I have right now are missing 5,000 free throws, not passing Wilt Chamberlain in points, and not being higher on the scoring list,” Shaq admitted.
That’s classic Shaq. Even after one of the greatest careers in NBA history, he’s still thinking about how he could have dominated just a little bit more.
If you’ve followed Shaq over the years, his first regret probably isn’t much of a surprise. His free-throw shooting became one of the biggest storylines of his career. Opposing coaches even created the infamous “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy, intentionally fouling him and daring him to win games from the charity stripe.
Despite shooting just over 52 percent from the free-throw line, Shaq still piled up an incredible 28,596 career points. Imagine if he had shot closer to the league average. Those missed free throws alone could have added thousands of points to his total and dramatically changed where he sits on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
That’s where regret number two comes in.
Wilt Chamberlain finished his legendary career with 31,419 points, and Shaq desperately wanted to pass him. For Shaq, it wasn’t simply about climbing another leaderboard. It was about reinforcing his belief that he belonged at the very top of the conversation whenever fans debate the most dominant player ever.
Shaq has never been shy about that opinion.
“When it comes to basketball conversations, I’m very arrogant,” he said with a smile. “I only want to hear my name when they say who’s the most dominant player ever.”
You have to admire the confidence. Honestly, it wouldn’t be Shaq without a little playful swagger.
Unfortunately, Father Time had other plans.
By the time Shaq reached his final season with the Boston Celtics, injuries had begun taking their toll. He knew that averaging around 10 to 12 points per game would likely give him a chance to catch Chamberlain. Instead, injuries limited him to just 37 games, where he averaged 9.2 points before bringing his remarkable career to a close.
Even so, it’s hard to imagine anyone calling Shaq’s career anything less than legendary.
His combination of size, skill, footwork, personality, and pure dominance changed basketball forever. Whether he’s making us laugh on television, spinning records as DJ Diesel, or reflecting on his playing days, Shaq continues to remind fans why he’s one of the sport’s most unforgettable superstars.
As for those three regrets? They may still bother him.
The rest of us are still busy appreciating one of the greatest careers the NBA has ever seen.