Donald Trump flipped all three “blue wall” states and regained his seat at the top of America’s political throne and will become the next President of the United States. Long before he was everything that America wanted in a president, he was Donny from Queens, a mover and shaker in the areas of real estate, sports and entertainment. During his victory speech in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump invited UFC President Dana White onstage with him.
That community has rallied around Trump, but when it comes to business he often reached across the political table in the world of entertainment.
The 78-year-old has had his hands in the sports world for decades, including his stint as charismatic owner of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.
Donald Trump Put Up $1M For 1 v 1 Between Shaq and Hakeem Olajuwon In 1995
In the ’90s, Trump allegedly tried to go into a sports venture with rising NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. Trump put up $1M in prize money for a special one-on-one matchup between the two elite centers in the NBA and two of the league’s faces — Shaq and Hakeem Olajuwon. That was a huge bag even as NBA salaries were starting to explode. Magic Johnson led the NBA in highest-salary in the 1994-95 season ($14.66 million) and Patrick Ewing held it down the following season, hauling in $18.7 million with the Knicks.
Olajuwon Bested Shaq In 1995 NBA Finals
A young Shaq and peak Olajuwon had just gone toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow in the 1995 NBA Finals. “The Dream” averaged 33.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 22 games in the 1995 playoffs. He won his second Finals MVP award and his second NBA championship.
Shaq and Hakeem 1 v 1 At Taj Mahal Casino Was Cancelled: Hakeem Had Bad Back
In an attempt to capitalize on the exploding fame of both players, their agent suggested the idea of a classic 1v1 match-up. Such a suggestion would take off today with social media to fuel the frenzy and give the fans a voice in the matter. It would take a bag to make it happen and Trump reportedly planned to host the event at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City and put up seven figures in prize money.
Unfortunately, the event was reportedly canceled at the midnight hour after Hakeem injured his back, and it was never rescheduled. A potential classic moment in time, lost. It would have been something, because Shaq admits that he held a chip on his shoulder after that Finals loss and it inspired him to become a better player and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers to capture his true destiny on the biggest stage.
“He was the first guy to actually embarrass me, because I really didn’t know what he was going to do,” Shaq said in a throwback interview.
“Hakeem Olajuwon had everything…Most centers only had two or three moves…. Mentally he wouldn’t break,” Shaq added about the Nigerian icon.
Shaq went on to win four NBA championships, three Finals MVP awards and one regular season MVP. At this point in history, Shaq Deisel is widely considered on par or better than Hakeem, who was drafted No. 1 overall ahead of Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft and finished his career among the GOAT centers with an MVP and 12 All-Star appearances to accompany his championship accolades.
Shaq Developed An Understanding Of Donald Trump Over The Years
Over the years, Shaq and Trump have developed a relationship and Shaq doesn’t deny it. In a previous interview now eight years old, Shaq acknowledged his friendship with Donald Trump and said Trump was misunderstood before the 2016 election.
“Donald Trump speaks to an eclectic type of audience,” O’Neal said.
Shaq basically endorsed Trump, acknowledging that while Trump speaks his mind, he often delivers his messages poorly.
“I just think he says it wrong.”
O’Neal added that Trump has no problem telling people to do things he thinks they should do such as tucking in their shirts or pointing things out.
“Donald’s like a straight-up guy. He’s a straightforward guy,” Shaq proclaimed.
Maybe with Trump as president we’ll see the return of 1v1’s between some of the stars of the NBA. That’s also probably a pipe dream. The way today’s contracts are structured it’s probably more unlikely than ever that we would see this generation of injury prone stars be allowed by the league to do anything other than risk themselves for some exhibition games in the Olympics.
