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Shaquille O'Neal says he refuses to call himself a celebrity.
In an interview with People, the former basketball player explained why, despite his nickname “Shaq,” he would never see himself on equal terms with other people who are as well-known as him.
“Do you know why I had to disown myself as a celebrity about six, seven years ago? Celebrities are assholes. They simply are. I never want to be in that category,” the NBA Hall of Famer told the outlet, explaining that “a lot of these people, when they reach a certain status, they automatically have the right to think they're smarter than you.” They're better than you, they’re bigger than you, and I never wanted to be like that.”
He continued and mentioned that he never traveled with a group of people like an entourage or flaunted his wealth in a conspicuous way through jewelry.
“I don’t want to be that guy,” he said. “I did it once and my mom was mad. She used words I haven’t heard her say in a long time.”
O'Neal then explained how his mother came to his house and made him watch footage of the time he felt he was acting up. “She asks, 'What do you think of this look?' I thought, 'This looks stupid,'” he recalls, without mentioning the exact moment. “She said, ‘That’s not necessary, baby. You don't have to do any of this.'”
“I have to do normal people’s things because I’m a normal person,” he continued. “I have no security. I have no entourage. I’m just a guy who played in the NBA.”
Being a “normal person” also means being honest about certain aspects of life, like when O'Neal discussed his 55-pound weight loss in September.
The former NBA star, 51, opened up about his recent weight loss and his “crazy goals” for himself in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the time, revealing that he decided to change his lifestyle after realizing that he couldn't “walk up the stairs”.
“I became chubby and couldn’t even walk up the stairs. I didn’t like the way I looked in the mirror,” he explained. “I thought, 'I'm going to lose 20,' and then I tried to lose 20.”
According to O'Neal, who weighed 406 pounds at the start of his journey, he began working out, with the Los Angeles Lakers legend then also changing his eating habits. He told the outlet that his goal now is to be “between 315 and 330.” [pounds]”, which he said he weighed when he helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA title in franchise history in 2006.
The 7-foot basketball star not only wants to lose more weight but also achieve an “eight pack,” although he joked that he is already halfway to his goal. “I have a five-pack now, so I have seven more packs to go because I want to take my shirt off on Instagram,” he said.
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