When Shaquille O’Neal was a child in Newark, N.J., he spent a lot of time shooting hoops at the local Boys & Girls Club as a way to keep out of trouble.
“Basketball was very, very healthy,” the Lakers legend told The Times during a Zoom call Thursday. “The people, the OGs made sure all the nonsense stayed away.”
As O’Neal grew up, he and his family ended up living on various military bases. Asked to describe the basketball facilities in those places, Shaq gave a chef’s kiss.
“They were perfectamundo,” he said.