[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-golden-age-of-basketball":3,"chapter-the-golden-age-of-basketball-the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1122":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1444539,1896,"Chapter 1122 - 11: Shark Story_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1122",1122,"\u003Cp>Lester knows a lot of rappers, works for them, handling business matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After doing some shows with a few singers, Jive Records offered me a record deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said I didn’t want to rap by myself, I wanted to collaborate with the artists I liked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My first album was called \"Shaq Diesel,\" featuring Fif Daug, Erik Sermon...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This album sold a million copies and achieved platinum sales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The song I did with Def Jed, \"I Know I Got\" broke into the charts at number 35.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recording albums isn’t easy, but I loved it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I’m a basketball star, rapper, and movie star (I later starred in films too).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In \"Shaq Diesel,\" I made fun of Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony, and Shawn Kemp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was fun, not personal vendetta, that’s the essence of freestyle rap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn’t dare mock Ah Gan; at the time, they wanted me to, but I didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even freedom has its limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the following years, I released several more albums, becoming more adept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I learned how to record, how to sell, how to chart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I enjoyed producing rap records and made some money from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to my basketball salary, it’s just small change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a great experience, but I wouldn’t rely on it to make a living.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first album sold a lot, but I only got $60,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because much of the money was eaten up by various things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because the album was so popular, those rappers started to resent my success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said, \"You’re a professional athlete, what are you doing in our world?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I was about to record the second album, they’d say, \"Pay me $200,000 first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything became unfriendly, except for two people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was Jay-Z, and the other was Biggie Smalls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biggie Smalls was the kindest person in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, absolutely a master of the studio, they would be holed up in the studio all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repeating and revising over and over, I always prepared my lyrics in advance, I didn’t want to waste too much of their time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing a game, I’d revise my lyrics on the plane, having Dennis Scott help me with the beats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biggie never casually changed my lyrics, he always said, \"I don’t write lyrics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there were issues with the recording, he’d patiently point them out and kindly persuade me to try again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This suited my temperament; I’d obediently go back in and do it again until satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jay-Z was the same way, very, very professional and kind, he appeared on my third album.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biggie was amazed at everything I had in Orlando; at that time, my house was 64,000 square feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"One day I’ll have all of this as well, I’ll be the best.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he certainly would; he was young, talented, ambitious. Every time I met him, I was happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last time we met was on March 8, 1997, my birthday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a cast on my foot, was on my way home, expected to return in April.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was preparing for the playoffs, everyone in the Western Conference was nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Ah Gan was back again, yes, he was back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was traffic on the road, Sunset Boulevard, Biggie got into a spat with someone along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I happened to run into him, asked what happened, and if he needed help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biggie said it was nothing, just a small matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew it was my birthday today and invited me to a party that night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told him no problem, see you that night, we bumped fists and parted ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biggie attended the Soul Train Music Awards and then went to the party at the Peterson Automotive Museum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was planning to go, to have a good time that night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I was too tired, sat down to watch TV, and fell asleep, leaving my pager in the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they tried to contact me, I was snoring on the couch upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mom found me at four in the morning, said, \"Shaq, did you go to the party?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a daze, I said no, I didn’t know what she was talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had been dreaming, dreaming of February 11, 1992, the first time I faced Ah Gan in a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an unforgettable encounter, the first time I truly experienced what historical greatness was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For that, I had nightmares for many years, really a lot of years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in 1997, he was back, like a nightmare returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mother’s words pulled me back from the dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She continued, \"Your friend was shot. He’s dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He died in the rap war, the killer was never found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Biggie left the party, he sat in the front seat of the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A killer drove up next to him and shot him four times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said it was part of the East Coast vs. West Coast rap feud, which had been going on for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tupac Shakur, one of Biggie’s friends and rivals, died the same way—shot dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I usually don’t think about \"what if,\" but after Biggie died, I spent a lot of time pondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had shown up at that party, what would have been different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a 7-foot-1-inch Shaquille O’Neal was standing next to that car, would that guy still shoot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we had been there, perhaps things would have been different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But maybe they would’ve killed Biggie anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not that night, maybe a day or two later, or three or four days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rap world is filled with violence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many rappers, before stepping into the rap scene, lived by the edge of the knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guns and drugs were part of their everyday life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can’t escape it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s part of their life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you carry groceries upstairs back to the apartment, there are guns and drugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you visit your cousin, there are guns and drugs as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you go play ball in the park, there are guns and drugs still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understand, because in Newark City, New Jersey, I saw the same scenes every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t stay away from it, it will ruin you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When my fourth rap album was released, critics began to attack me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said, \"If Shaq wasn’t a superstar, his rap albums wouldn’t sell.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That really hit the nail on the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother, what are you trying to say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I realized, my rap career should end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve achieved enough, two platinum records, one gold record.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on the basketball court, I still had nothing at that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I should move forward, towards the championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Challenge that nightmare until success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, going back to February 11, 1992, the Orlando Magic playing the Portland Trail Blazers at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was my first head-on collision with Ah Gan on the court, the start of nightmares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To understand this, you can truly resolve everything and start anew.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Published in 2011, Shaquille O’Neal’s autobiography \"Shaq Uncut: My Story,\" excerpt.\u003C\u002Fp>",1163,"2026-06-06T01:41:50.199Z",1,"novelbin.me","a6460b5f288f7a401f220bd434ce5282a77024585e0aaf692061757c16aa5d98","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1123","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1121",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]