Why Shaq Threw His Olympic Gold Medal Out His Car Window
Shaquille O'Neal has racked up countless accolades throughout his career both on and off the court. During his rise to stardom in the 1990s, he was part of the so-called "Dream Team III" that represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In the end, the U.S., armed with up-and-coming legends like Shaq, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, and Charles Barkley, came out on top.
But it wasn't exactly an experience that Shaq wanted to remember. In fact, he got rid of his medal just hours later, as he recalled on the April 3 episode of his weekly show, The Big Podcast.
"The Olympic Games, ‘96, I played throughout, helped them come back, win games," he recounted. "In the gold medal game, [coach] Lenny Wilkens says, 'Hey, this is probably David Robinson’s last game, so he’s gonna get more minutes.’ I said, 'Cool.' But he didn’t play me at all until like the last two minutes."
Needless to say, Shaq was annoyed that he barely got to contribute to such a career-defining moment. Athletes train for years to win a gold medal at the Olympics, but Shaq just wanted to make his disappear.
So on his way home, he disposed of it on the side of the road. "I was so pissed off, after the ceremony, I drove home [from Atlanta to Orlando] in my uniform and I threw the godd--n medal out the window on I-75," he admitted.
"I threw it away on the highway," O'Neal confirmed, after being asked if he really did get rid of it.
He demonstrated just how he did it. "I just did like this, and threw it out the window," he said. "I was so mad." He hung on to the uniform for the memories, but the gold medal has never been found.
It was his first and only time playing on an Olympic basketball team, but Shaq doesn't have any regrets in doing it. "I should have made Dream Team I [in the '92 Olympics]," he said, noting he was "appeased" by being put on the '94 team for the World Games before joining the '96 Olympic squad.
"I was so pissed that Lenny Wilkens did that to me," he added.
Perhaps one dedicated treasure hunter can scour the side of the highway to find what is surely now a priceless object.