I Turned Down Role In 'The Green Mile'

Did you know Shaquille O'Neal could have been John Coffey in "The Green Mile?!"

It's true ... so says the NBA legend, who revealed on the The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast this week that he was initially offered the star role in the 1999 film but turned it down.

The Tom Hanks flick is one of the greatest ever -- and Coffey, ultimately played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan, is one of the most iconic movie characters in cinema history.

And, Shaq says he was initially tabbed to play the part before Clarke Duncan, but says he "turned it down."

"I didn’t want to play the down-South African American guy during slavery," Shaq explained. "I didn’t want to play that role."

Shaq, who was…