Shaquille O’Neal entered the NBA just as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls began their dynasty in the 1990s. The Orlando Magic selected Shaq with the No. 1 pick in the 1992 NBA draft, a year before Jordan’s Bulls won their first championship. O’Neal’s 1995 Magic team was the last team of the Jordan era to defeat Chicago in the playoffs.
O’Neal was already dominant when he entered the NBA. He is considered a second generation Wilt Chamberlain due to the way he overpowers his opponents. The big man gives as much as he gets physically.
Shaquille O’Neal retired in 2011 and made a name for himself as a basketball analyst on TNT. For years, he has believed that basketball in the 1990s was more physical. He even wonders how many big men today could bounce back from the rough patch he had during his first slump in the league.
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Michael Jordan captured O’Neal’s thoughts on those years in an interview Shaq retweeted on Instagram:
“These kids don’t even know how we have to grow up or how to play. Physically, it’s more physical than today’s game. We can’t run through the lane without checking, screening, illegal screening or waiting.
“You always have to pay to get there. If you’re aggressive and guard an old guy and you go in there, you understand ‘I’m going to get hit and I’m going to pay.'” But, here it is part of the game. I won’t be afraid to go in. “
Michael Jordan had his share of setbacks, especially against the Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s. The Bad Boy made him pay nearly every time he attacked the rim. Jordan never gave up and eventually conquered the physical and ruthless Pistons.
Shaquille O’Neal has had his fair share of painful battles. Teams would rather attack him than allow him an easy dunk. O’Neal is a behemoth, but the fouls he commits are just as punishing. Some of the worst common fouls he has had to endure in today’s NBA are now worthy of ejection.
Shaquille O’Neal Was Once Afraid of Michael Jordan
Shaquille O’Neal is arguably the most dominant player in NBA history. He’s big but mobile, and his skills are impressive. Defending him often requires a full team effort.
Even though O’Neal was unstoppable, he was still afraid of Michael Jordan. Here’s what he said in an interview with Logan Paul about facing “his emptiness”:
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“He’s the only guy on the field that scares me. Because I idolized him in high school, idolized him in college, adored him, and then he’s right in front of you and everything you see on the posters is like he’s What I do in real life, like he walks past me so fast, sometimes I’m like oh shit.
Shaquille O’Neal may have been afraid of Michael Jordan, but he learned his lesson well. Shaq eventually led the team to a championship. O’Neal (2000-2002) became the first player after Jordan to win three consecutive NBA Finals MVPs.