Unless a player has the hoops hyperfocus that Kobe Bryant had, it's fair to say that it can be pretty hard for NBA superstars to keep their focus on basketball. With more money in their bank accounts than they could have ever dreamed of when they were younger, as well as fame and popularity, many athletes often fall into stardom's pitfalls and end up spending more time having fun than keeping basketball at the forefront.
A prime example of this is Philadelphia 76ers icon Allen Iverson, who barnstormed one nightclub after another in every city he found himself in before dropping 30-plus on the opposing team the very next night.
As great as A.I. was, it's not absurd to imagine how much greater he could have been if he had spent more time sharpening his already lethal skills and kept his focus on his basketball goals instead of trying to figure out where he was going to hang out on any given night.
Another player who nearly went on the same path was Shaquille O'Neal . However, he admitted realizing he needed to change things up after faltering in the postseason year after year. With failure functioning as a great motivator, Shaq opened up about cutting back on enjoying the nightlife to keep his body fresh for the NBA's grind.
The word "mature" was something nobody ever associated with Diesel, especially early in his career. Although he was 7'1" and weighed well over 300 pounds, Shaq often acted like the class clown and relished the role. However, it couldn't be denied how much of a competitor the big man from LSU was, and every postseason that ended with him not having a ring left a hole in his heart.
So, he had to come to terms with things he needed to do to become greater.
"It was just me growing, going through things. I failed, I think, seven, eight times before I finally got my first one (championship). And it was just about me growing up. Now that I'm an old, old veteran, age 29, I do things a lot differently," Shaq revealed in a 2001 interview.
Asked to reveal the biggest change that he made, Shaq didn't hesitate to respond, "I don't go to the 'gentlemen's' clubs anymore."
Gentleman's clubs is a sophisticated way of saying strip clubs which many professional athletes are fond of frequenting.
Having time and money to burn could be a recipe for disaster for most professional athletes, including NBA players. There are plenty of stories about players staying out until the crack of dawn, exchanging sleep for a good time. Obviously, that compromises the body, as lack of rest is usually associated with illnesses and injuries.
Shaq knew about this and decided to be more selective with his recreational activities.
"I had to slow that down. But I'm just more cool, calm and collected and I know when to take care of business, when to get serious. Now that we're here, it's time to be serious," he asserted.
Having tasted the championship in 2000, apparently, wasn't enough for Shaq. He didn't want just a taste; he wanted to devour the entire thing.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
