Image Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

‘It was a sad day for me’ – NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal Reveals the 2 WWE Hall of Famers who Destroyed His Childhood Illusions

In the 1990s, Shaq reached out to Hulk Hogan and pleaded for his help when he struggling at the free throw line.

Image Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O’Neal is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, having won four NBA championships, an MVP award, and a Finals MVP award. Shaq currently works with TNT for a famous show, ‘Inside The NBA’, but he also finds time to follow WWE. He has also guest-hosted WWE events like Monday Night Raw.

During his podcast show, the former Lakers superstar revealed the names of two WWE Hall of Famers who destroyed his childhood illusions. Shaq is a huge fan of WWE from his childhood days, but he felt heartbroken when he found out that the world’s biggest wrestling event and its rivalries isn’t real. He shared that Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair ruined the WWE for him.

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Shaquille O’Neal Opens Up on Hogan and Flair’s Rivalry, Talks About How WWE Stars Ruined His Childhood Illusions

Shaquille O’Neal has followed former WWE superstars Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair from his childhood days. These two wrestlers had a major rivalry in WCW, with Hogan winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Flair in 1994. Just one year ago, O’Neal was named rookie of the year in the NBA.

During his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, the basketball legend talked about a party he hosted at his home in Orlando. Shaq and Hogan were good friends, and the NBA superstar was shocked to learn the wrestler’s other side at the party. Shaquille O’Neal recalled how hosting WWE legends Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair became a “sad day” for him.

“It actually was a sad day for me.”

– Shaq when he realized the WWE wasn’t real 💔 pic.twitter.com/nd8CsRRDBd
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) April 21, 2025

“So Hulk Hogan came in, a couple other guys came in, uh, Ric Flair… and Macho Man and all these (wrestlers) start eating my hors d’oeuvres and talking with each other,” Shaquille O’Neal said.

“Growing up, I always thought they hated each other… It actually was a sad day for me,” O’Neal continued.

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Hulk Hogan Supported Shaq During His Struggle at Free Throw Line

In the 1990s, Shaq reached out to Hulk Hogan and pleaded for his help when he struggling at the free throw line. Hogan attended the Magic-Bulls game with a seat on the courtside and his appearance motivated O’Neal to perform better.

“I’m not worried about the Three Stooges on Shaq’s back. I’m here to make sure there’s a fair game. If the Bulls get out of the line, or the Magic takes advantage of the Bulls, I’ll body slam both teams on the court just like I did Andre The Giant,” Hogan shared a story to TNT’s Craig Sager.

In the mid-1990s, O’Neal also served as a special guest for a matchup between legends Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. The NBA legend delivers Hogan’s signature line in the promo before the game, “What you gonna do when the Hulkamania runs wild on you.” Hogan went on to win the event and later, met Shaq in the ring to present the belt.

Hulk Hogan celebrates with Shaquille O'Neal,Mr.T and Jimmy Hart after defeating Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in Hogan's debut match in WCW,at Bash at the Beach '94 pic.twitter.com/KlcIUdP7Ra
— Rasslin' History 101 (@WrestlingIsKing) February 24, 2022

Karlous Miller, Shaq’s guest on the podcast, also expressed his thoughts on the current sports fans. He explained that fans don’t see the post-game involvement where NBA players attend parties and exchange positive words off the court.

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“Fans see this as like a blood sport. But they don’t even see the part like after the game, it’s the afterparty, it’s both teams in here and they kickin’ it,” Miller said. “They (are) the ones who make the rivalries, so once I saw that I was like ‘Oh, they (are) buddies.’”

Image Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.