Shaquille O'Neal. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Shaq recalls throwing away 1996 Olympic gold medal out of anger

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 4/4/24

To most athletes, any medal, let alone an Olympic gold medal, is a badge of honor they proudly display in their trophy case. However, Shaquille O'Neal isn't big on sentimental value.

On the latest "Big Podcast," the Hall of Famer revealed he threw away his 1996 Olympic gold medal on his ride home from the Georgia Dome — the venue of Team USA's gold medal game against Yugoslavia.

"In the gold medal game, Lenny Wilkens [Team USA head coach] says, 'Hey, this is probably David Robinson's last game [for Team USA] so he's going to get more minutes," O'Neal recalled. "I said, 'Cool. I won't blame him.' But he didn't play me at all.

"I was so pissed off that, after the ceremony, I drove home in my uniform and I threw the goddamn medal out of the window."

When asked to clarify if he got back possession of the medal, O'Neal said, "No. I threw it away on the highway."

Shaq threw his 1996 Olympic Gold medal out on the highway

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Shaq's story checks out, as Wilkens played him only five minutes, the lowest among the 11 players who suited up for Team USA. The team's starting lineup included Robinson, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Mitch Richmond and Penny Hardaway. The second unit was led by Reggie Miller, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, John Stockton, O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.

The 1996 Atlanta Games marked O'Neal's first and only participation in the Olympics. He was considered too young to be a part of the 1992 Dream Team in Barcelona and decided to sit out of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney where many unheralded and younger players represented Team USA. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, "The Diesel" and many of the NBA's star players again sat out.

Somewhere on a freeway near Atlanta, Shaq's 1996 Olympic gold medal rests.

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