Shaq Knew Odell Beckham Jr. Was Destined For Greatness

Odell Beckham Jr’s “Uncle Shaq” knew the Giants rookie wide receiver was going to be great in the NFL before the rest of us.

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Not many NFL players have NBA legendary center Shaquille O’Neal on their phones, much less call him Uncle Shaq, but Odell Beckham does, thanks to his father and Shaq’s days at LSU.

According to a story at NJ.com, Shaq became good friends with Odell Beckham Sr. during their time together at LSU, which Shaq attended from 1989 to 1992. Beckham Sr. was a running back at LSU, while Shaq obviously played basketball. Both men were from Texas and those ties helped them become good friends.

"“He was a top football player coming out of Texas, I was the top basketball player in Texas, so when we first got to LSU, we used to go to clubs, fight for each other, we were best friends,” O’Neal told NJ Advance Media. “When he had his son, I called and congratulated him. I met junior many times. Of course, when [Odell Jr.] went to LSU everyone was excited,” Shaq said via NJ.com."

Shaq said he knew Beckham Jr. would be a great player and that he always had disproportionately large hands for a “little guy”. Like everyone else, he was amazed at the catch Beckham Jr. made against the Cowboys and he called it a tribute to Beckham Jr.’s competitiveness and determination.

"“Most receivers when they see it’s overthrown they just [give up] … but the way that he was brought up, if you can touch it, you can catch it. The greatest players say, ‘If you can touch it, you can catch it.’ “"

Shaq further talked about the way Beckham Jr. has had to deal with a losing season, something he himself didn’t have to deal with much, having made the playoffs in 17 of his 19 NBA seasons.

"You have to be a leader. You have to keep everybody involved, just do the right thing,” O’Neal said. “Being a receiver’s like being a center. We can’t really show our talent unless we get the ball."

Give Shaq credit, he knows that distractions need to be tuned out during the season, and he says he doesn’t bother Beckham Jr., but says he’s a phone call away if the wide receiver needs to talk.

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