Shaquille O'Neal candid confession reveals how frustrations with ex-wife led to dispute with Dwyane Wade: "Motherfu**er you want to be the man"

Following the 2004 season, the Miami Heat traded for Shaquille O'Neal to pair him with a young Dwyane Wade. During a recent interview, he opened up on how struggles in his personal life led to an argument with his new running mate.

While joining Draymond Green on his podcast, Shaq touched on a few of the star players he shared the court with during his career. When opening up on his time with the Heat, he said he and Wade were fine until the 2006 NBA Finals.

Shaquille O'Neal admitted to pulling Wade aside and asking him if he was ready to step up and be the man. The star center was struggling in that series and going through a divorce behind the scenes.

"Our first argument was in the finals," Shaq said. "I'm declining as Shaq. I'm going through a divorce."

"So I pull D Wade in a room, f**k you gonna do man? Motherf**ker you want to be the man, what the f**k you gonna do?"

Shaq later stated that Wade responded positively to this dust-up between teammates.

"He had a look of relief like 'oh I can?'," Shaq continued.

At the time, Shaq was married to Shaunie Nelson. The couple had four children together after tying the knot in 2002. Nelson filed for divorce in 2007 but ended up taking it back. However, the couple filed again a few years later and had it finalized by 2011.

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How did Shaquille O'Neal perform in the 2006 NBA Finals

In the NBA Finals that season, the Miami Heat were matched up with the Dallas Mavericks. Compared to his standards, Shaquille O'Neal struggled greatly in this series.

Shaq started the finals off strong, posting 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a loss. That said, he followed that up in Game 2 by scoring just five points in 27 minutes of action. This lackluster showing led to the altercation with Dwyane Wade.

After going down 2-0 in the series, Shaquille O'Neal and the Heat managed to turn things around. He recorded a double-double in three straight games as Miami continued to pile up wins. They'd go on to win the series in Game 6, though Shaq only recorded nine points.

The Heat would not have been able to take down the Mavericks if it weren't for the stellar play of Wade. In that finals, he averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists aged 24.

Overall, Shaq had a solid run with the Heat. He was named an All-Star on multiple occasions and helped deliver a championship. During his four seasons there, the Hall of Fame big man averaged 19.6 points and 9.1 rebounds.