There’s only two players to ever withstand my hazing” – Shaquille O’Neal crowns the two toughest rookies he’s dealt with..Read more..👇👇
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal revealed that only two players in his career survived his rookie hazing – Kobe Bryant and Goran Dragic.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend was covering a Miami Heat game with the “NBA on TNT” crew in 2020 and took a moment to share why Dragic especially shook his rookie initiation plans.
“I have a confession: it’s only two players to ever withstand my hazing, and I had to release what I was doing to them because of their toughness, Kobe Bryant and Goran Dragic. So I know this kid is tough, you know I tried to haze him one day, and he said, ‘Shaq, I’m from Slovenia. I’ve seen it all before,’ so I realized he was a tough kid,” Shaq said.
“You know, getting hazed by me and working out with Steve Nash all day every day, two or three times a day, this is what you get. So I know this kid has heart. I would never say anything bad about this kid; I’ve always loved this kid’s heart,” he added.
Dragic was built different
Little did Shaq know at the time when suiting up with the Phoenix Suns that Dragic grew up in the streets of Slovenia and was exposed to hardship and personal obstacles at a young age.
Goran’s family comes from humble beginnings. They didn’t have the same luxuries children in the United States were fortunate to have access to growing up.
It was a tough upbringing, as Dragic and his brother Zoran were forced to grow up quickly and assume independence and responsibilities beyond their age as they both aspired to be professional basketball players.