Athletes becoming Hollywood giants isn’t something that happens pretty often but one of the biggest exceptions to it is fan-favorite Dwayne Johnson. From starting out as a football player to eventually finding his footing in Pro Wrestling, the Black Adam star’s success wasn’t just going to be limited by the squared circle.
As a result, despite being the biggest name of the Attitude Era, the actor would risk leaving his Wrestling accomplishments behind and would succeed in cementing himself as a Hollywood icon. The success of the actor on the highest stage has kept on inspiring millions, and it appears it even motivated another sports legend to pursue a name in the movie industry.
Shaquille O’Neal wanted to follow in Dwayne Johnson’s footsteps
After succeeding in the field of basketball, following in Dwayne Johnson’s footsteps, Shaquille O’Neal too began his journey of making a name for himself in Hollywood. After making his debut with Blue Chips in 1994, the four-time NBA champion would find create some buzz for 1996’s Kazaam but not for the right reasons, as the film was bashed by critics. The year followed after Kazaam witnessed Shaquille O’Neal in DC’s Steel, which was once again bombarded by critics upon its release.
But these failures weren’t enough to break the NBA legend’s spirit, as he later explained he wasn’t going to give up, as he wanted to be the next Dwayne Johnson. He explained,
“We come from the same place: athletes that transition. That’s my goal. I want similar type movies, I want to get thrillers, I want to get dramas, I want to do comedies, I want to be the next Rock. I want to do a thriller where I’m like a hero and beat up all the bad guys.”
Shaquille O’Neal also shares a wholesome friendship with the Black Adam star and the two haven’t backed away from taking friendly jabs at each other on a regular. But during one of their friendly encounters, Johnson left O’Neal a bit embarrassed.
Dwayne Johnson once left Shaquille O’Neal embarrassed
Apart from the movie industry, Shaquille O’Neal has made several appearances in WWE and even hosted Monday Night Raw back in 2009. When asked which WWE superstars can the 7-footer beat, O’Neal’s answer involved The Rock. In spite of accepting the NBA legend’s challenge, Dwayne Johnson got involved in a funny exchange with O’Neal as the Hobbs & Shaw star left the NBA champion embarrassed after reminding him of Kazaam‘s failure. Johnson stated,
“Shaq is one of the most dominating players of all time. I believe, four World Championships; gold medal on top of that. He made Kazoo. I’m sorry what it is? Kazam. It doesn’t matter what it is,”
However, despite his want of making it to the level of The Rock, Shaquille O’Neal’s journey hasn’t been quite successful, as most of his films weren’t received well by critics and lost into obscurity.
Kazaam is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: CGTN
