Phoenix Suns: How Shaq hazed rookie Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic told a story about when he was a rookie with the Phoenix Suns, and the hazing he received from Shaquille O’Neal.

Podcasts have been known to reveal some juicy behind-the-scenes information lately, as cabin fever, time, and a microphone have been catalysts for gut-spilling. During the hiatus, Shawn Marion revealed how he avoided rookie hazing when he was a rookie on a veteran Phoenix Suns team by standing up to Cliff Robinson during training camp.

Now we have another good Suns-related rookie hazing story, this time courtesy of everyone’s favorite bomb dropper, Adrian Wojnarowski.

Goran Dragic joined Woj and reminisced about his time as a rookie with the Phoenix Suns, the same year the Big Cactus, AKA Shaqtus, AKA Shaquille O’Neal was a wily veteran.

Dragic told the story of the hazing he received as a rookie with the Phoenix Suns.

He said:

"“You know, I have to think [Shaq] was great, you know, he did take care of me. He had a lot of jokes, he was so funny, but one anecdote: I always had to carry his keyboard when we’d go on away [games]. It was a big keyboard. You know, from the bus to the plane, from the plane to the hotel. A few times my room was next to his, and I never heard him play on it. At the end of the season, I asked him, ‘Hey, Shaq. Did you ever play on the keyboard?’ He said, ‘No…it doesn’t work. It’s broke.”"

The long game of this prank is amazing. I’m sure at any point during the season if Dragic had asked about the keyboard, Shaq would have given him the same answer, but Dragic waited until the end of the season, and in the meantime, just kept carrying the keyboard around him.

The Phoenix Suns are no stranger to pranks. Around April Fool’s Day, we ranked the team’s top 10 pranks, and it is unfortunate this one wasn’t yet publically available because it very well could have made the list.

Shaq and the Dragon did make the list, however, in completely unrelated pranks, so these guys getting after reach other is fun and reminds us of playoff years gone by.