"Where is the motivation?" - Shaquille O'Neal rips lack of hunger in multi-million dollar NIL athletes

Shaquille O'Neal is considered one of the most dominant players the NBA has ever seen. "The Diesel" is an avid businessman and media personality, offering analysis of the basketball world, and he recently spoke about how the college basketball landscape has changed over the years.

O'Neal typically expresses his opinions on the players and teams in the NBA, but he also expressed his thoughts on the impact NIL (name, image and likeness) deals have had on college athletes. Shaq tackled the subject of such deals on Wednesday's episode of "The Big Podcast," which he hosts alongside Adam Lefkoe.

Shaq questioned whether or not big NIL paydays rob athletes of their drive.

"I think the NIL- I think is definitely gonna hurt people, because people that have nothing. When you get something, it takes the pressure off," O'Neal said. "I know a cat... he's getting paid 7 million to play one year. Like, where is the motivation?"

Multi-million dollar NIL deals are becoming more common in the college basketball world, with big names like Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Cooper Flagg signing big deals with sponsors.

From Shaq's perspective, the ease these athletes can make so much money can rob them of the will to succeed on the highest level.

The 7-foot-1 center played in the NBA for 19 seasons, capturing four championships and racking up 15 All-Star appearances in his Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame career.

Since retiring in 2011, the former LA Laker has shifted into a career as an analyst, joining the "Inside the NBA" crew alongside former NBA players Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, as well as sports media veteran Ernie Johnson.

Shaquille O'Neal's wariness of NIL adds to the conversation around top college prospects

Shaquille O'Neal's worries surrounding the popularity and presence of NIL deals in college is just one more perspective on a larger conversation. Because college athletes are getting paid millions of dollars to be sponsors for different companies while in school, some athletes have debated forgoing the professional leagues to make more money.

While they might not be the top prospects, Haley and Hanna Cavinder are great examples of college basketball players who stayed at their schools longer than needed. Both players are wrapping up their fifth season as college basketball players and their second with Miami. The twins have become one of the faces of the NIL era, along with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.

The top prospects for the NBA and WNBA have also been rumored to want to stay at their schools. Paige Bueckers, Cooper Flagg and other top players have debated staying in school and continuing to cash in their NIL checks instead of entering the pros. Regardless, NIL has arguably thrown an interesting wrinkle into the college sports world.