Jason Richardson tells story about Shaq's locker room "pranks"

[NYPiston]

Jesus some of you act like toddlers. This happened over 20 years ago. Why are we projecting our current values onto things people did in the past? We do this with historical figures all the time too. He was just a young guy having fun. If this was done today that's a totally different situation but we haven't heard of anything like it aside from these old examples.

Having fun is fine (I'm the type of guy that's always cracking jokes and laughing at random ****) but putting a man's mouthpiece in your ass is not only freaking disgusting, it also creates a health risk. Just because it happened 20 years ago doesn't mean it should be acceptable, since when is pretty much literally putting **** in somebody's mouth acceptable in any society in any era. What the **** are we talking about here?

Edit: Oh maybe you were being sarcastic. In which case, well done.

[Capn'O]

That's absolutely vile.

[Clav]

Shaq had very little self awareness of how mean spirited this was. All these stories make me respect O'Neal even less because he holds petty grudges and continually belittles other players and contemporaries. He's kind of funny in other aspects for sure, but these pranks are not that great on my comedy scale.

[-Luke-]

Jesus some of you act like toddlers. This happened over 20 years ago. Why are we projecting our current values onto things people did in the past? We do this with historical figures all the time too. He was just a young guy having fun. If this was done today that's a totally different situation but we haven't heard of anything like it aside from these old examples.

Gen Z bro. They have no sense of humor.

I'm GenX, and it isn't funny to me either. The hazings and initiations that went on in the 80s and 90s weren't OK. Locking a bunch of players in the bathroom on a bus trip is one thing, but when it gets to bodily fluids or physical force that can injure or kill... screw that. They used to hang freshman wrestling team by their ankles out of the 3rd floor windows at my school. The local JrA hockey team used to make rookies stand in a circle and toss off on a piece of bread, and the last one had to eat it. Never minf the stories of basically rape with sticks, bats, teabagging, feces and urine... like, what kind of small, broken brain do you have to have to think this is ok, let alone funny?

If you guys want to glorify being small minded dumb****s, be my guest, but do not attempt to say it was all well and good and totally normal back then. It happened more, but there was a reason everyone was supposed to keep your mouth shut and not talk about it - because it's **** behavior from poorly evolved humans who can't be trusted to be in charge of anyone, so it's no wonder why they often end up seeking careers as cops and politicians.

I barely dare to ask, but does "toss off" mean what I think it means? Sorry, English isn't my native language. Man, that is disgusting stuff.

[Nate505]

So **** gross. Shaq is really a horrible human being at times.

[-Luke-]

Ernie, Chuck and Kenny will have an eye on their coffee mugs in the future, that's for sure.

By the way, speaking of Barkley. There was this incident when he tried to spit at a fan who apparently insulted him, but hit a girl instead. He immediatley knew that he f***ed up, apologized and made contact to the girl and the family and apologized (and got them tickets etc.). That's how an adult acts if he did something stupid (you shouldn't do the stupid stuff in the first place of course). Compare that to Shaq.

[Nate505]

The other thing I'm getting from this story is that Shaq really enjoys putting things up his ass.

[Slimjimzv]

Shaq is a dumbass and a bully. He's always been those things. I can't stand him on TNT. I hate to see the end of the NBA on TNT, but if it means I don't need to see or hear from him anymore, it's worth the loss.

[NCHeels2008]

Shaq was my childhood hero, I started following him since his Orlando days. I loved his dominance on the court and his openhearted exchange with the media. I'm a bit of an introvert so I envied his social skills.

Even in the Kobe feuds, I instinctively took his side because Kobe was this stubborn arrogant young player who wanted it all. Turns out he had by far the most professional mindset of the two.

Recently, I came to the conclusion that Shaq is just managing his brand and I would hate to be his team mate, and couldn't be his friend if he did things like that to me. He's just a spoiled human being, centered around getting his own right vs respecting someone else's boundary.

I also don't like much of his work on the TNT show. He doesn't bring much value and just lives from controversy or stereotypes.

It's a bit sad to discover that from your childhood hero . Let's hope that because of age, he got a little smarter and adapted his behavior.

The way he has gone after Dwight has been pathetic too honestly

[bkkrh]

Jesus some of you act like toddlers. This happened over 20 years ago. Why are we projecting our current values onto things people did in the past? We do this with historical figures all the time too. He was just a young guy having fun. If this was done today that's a totally different situation but we haven't heard of anything like it aside from these old examples.

I'm 42, if somebody would have ever done something similar to me 20 years ago, one of us would have wound up in the hospital. There are certain lines you don't cross with another man that has an ounce of self respect and putting any kind of his personal belongings up your ass is definitely one of them.

[bkkrh]

When these guys put other peoples items in their ass does it really go in? Or just between the cheeks?

Big difference, I have to know.. I'd imagine a toothbrush or a mouthpiece wouldn't feel that great if it's really in the rectum.

It's kind of the ass version of are you just a scorer and rest on defense, or are you actually a 2-way-player.

[Lalouie]

shaq is a low common denominator person

i think he uses his size to have dominion over others. it's pretty easy to do when you only see the tops of everyone's heads

[LLJ]

Jesus some of you act like toddlers. This happened over 20 years ago. Why are we projecting our current values onto things people did in the past? We do this with historical figures all the time too. He was just a young guy having fun. If this was done today that's a totally different situation but we haven't heard of anything like it aside from these old examples.

I was around 20 years ago and trust me, throwing feces on someone as locker room hazing would have been a huge media scandal if it got out. There's a reason why these stories have been hidden so well.

Some pranks are fine, like filling someone's car with popcorn (one of the few pranks that got out at the time because it was G rated) but these darker stories about Shaq's "pranks" seem more like low key assault crimes.

I feel like a lot of these guys telling these stories now are doing it in a "ha-ha Shaq is such a jokester" manner in order to still act like a "cool bro" but inside they know it's all sorts of **** up, so they're finally telling it now.

[maverick_41]

What such stories can teach us?

I think we should expect less from sportsmen, actors, rappers. And don't ask them questions related to politics, economics, etc... Somehow they ended up to become opinion leaders in our society.

[Calvin Klein]

Shaq has always been a bully. Doesnt mean he cant be likeable or funny from time to time. But still a huge bully.

[LakersLegacy]

Not really willing to watch an hour and half to hear about Shaq taking a dump in people shoes. Can we get some cliff notes?

It's time-stamped, but here:

We had a guy on the team my first year in Phoenix, Lou Amundson. He used to ride a bike to practice every day because he lived right across from the arena. Every time he rode his bike, Shaq would take it and hide it. Somewhere in the arena. Every day after practice, Lou was on a scavenger hunt trying to find his bike. This went on for the entire season. Finally, toward the end of the season, Lou had enough. He said, “I’m done with this. Every practice, I spend 45 minutes to an hour trying to find my damn bike.” We tried to warn him. We said, “Yo, Lou, this is Shaq. I’ve heard the stories—doodoo surprise. He used to take a **** in people’s magazines and shoes. This is Shaq you’re dealing with, bro. You might want to chill.”

So he popcorned Shaq's van, and Shaq was like "Oh okay, this is a good prank, but you don't know who the **** you messing with."

The game happened, I come in the locker room, and I see Shaq. Shaq walking around that locker room naked as nothing, real slow and tight. And he pulls a mouthpiece out his ass and puts it in a locker. He told us "Y'all better not say **** either." He takes Lou's toothbrush, he goes to take a ****, and he stirs it in his ****. We like "We ain't into this ****, this is getting out of hand."

The game happens, somehow I'm on the bench, Matt Barnes on the bench, Steve Nash on the bench, Jared Dudley's on the bench. Lou Amundson checks in the game, and he puts the mouthpiece on and everybody on the bench loses it. He comes to the locker room, he takes his mouthpiece off, and someone's like "Hey Lou, don't use your mouthpiece, Shaq put your mouthpiece in his ass." he said "Uh, no he didn't." and put it back in his mouth and goes out there. The bench loses it again.

So Lou gets subbed out the game, and he said "J-Rich, are they **** with me? What happened?" I said "Shaq took your mouthpiece and put it in his ass, bro." and he took it out and he just looked at it. Matt Barnes said to him "Anything in your locker has probably been in Shaq's ass, throw it all away."

Kobe how my @$$ taste now has new meaning.

Bryant’ job as defensive captain to get Shaq to be professional.
Shaq retaliates by being animalistic.

Shaq threw a teammate out of a vehicle without clothes and had him chase the vehicle for a mile

Shaq beat Brian Shaw

It’s pretty obvious how those behaviors were a much worse fit with someone like Bryant than if he had a professional teammate like Duncan

[Ridicululz]

This is just gross.

[Edrees]

Why are all these stories just coming up now? Decades later after he retired?

Maybe ESPN doesn't want him on Inside the NBA when they move it over. Not that I blame them

[Black Jack]

Glad I was never a Shaq teammate because I would have retaliated in a way that would have stopped his pranking for sure. Gloves would have come off.

[Big J]

Glad I was never a Shaq teammate because I would have retaliated in a way that would have stopped his pranking for sure. Gloves would have come off.

5'10 you vs Shaq wouldn't have ended well for you.