Basketball fans know Shaquille O'Neal as a great player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Mark Madsen, the Timberwolves forward who was O'Neal's teammate in Los Angeles for three years, knows the Lakers center as a great person off the court as well.
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"I showed up to the first week of practice in Los Angeles driving an old beat-up minivan my parents had given to me as a gift," Madsen said. "My mom had driven the car for years, and then it had been passed down to some of my siblings.
"It had a nice little dent on the side, not from me, from someone else. So I rolled into the practice site, and Shaq took one look at the car and said, 'Big fella, you can't drive into the Staples Center with that minivan.' And I said, 'Yes I can, Shaq!' And he said, 'No you can't.' "So he took me down to a dealership where he said he owned about 25 percent, and he took me right up to the CEO and said, 'This is Mad Dog. Give him a great deal on a car.' Shaq wanted to put a down payment down, but I wouldn't let him. But he's a great guy off the court, a great friend. And on the court, he's taught me a lot about the game."
On the court, Madsen said he got beat up every day in practice by O'Neal but learned a lot about basketball.
"We had free-throw contests every day," Madsen said. "I learned a lot from Shaquille. He carries himself very professionally. He's someone who, when he gets on the court, his entire focus is winning. And he'll communicate that. If he wants you in a certain spot he'll let you know.
"I remember one game in particular. It was one of the final games of last season, and we needed to get into playoff rhythm. He said to me, a role player, 'Every time you get the ball, I want you to shoot it.' When your superstar is telling you that as a role player, you feel aggressive. You feel like you want to attack, and it helps your game."
Madsen said playing in Los Angeles is different than any other city in the NBA.
"I think L.A. is a place where you have to be very focused. It's a city where, if you're not focused, you can get distracted," he said. "With the media, with the Hollywood influence. I was fortunate to have great leadership around me in terms of other NBA players. It was a great three years in L.A." |
