Shaquille O’Neal is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players in the NBA ever. After all, having a 7-foot-1-inch frame does give you the freedom to dominate your opponents. Moreover, Shaq had the necessary skills to bring carnage to the basketball court.

However, he was always respectful towards his seniors. Although he might be respectful towards them, this doesn’t mean Shaq would take disrespect of any kind.

During an interview with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, an interesting story regarding O’Neal was revealed by Richardson. He talked about how he wanted to tip dunk one time, and O’Neal did not like that. Moreover, Shaq threatened to hurt his face in case Richardson tried that again.

Shaq said, “I never messed with you, I told you to do what you do, never blocked your shots.” Richardson added, “I tried to tip dunk on the free throw line one time. You said, ‘I like you, don’t ever do that again cause I can hurt your whole face.”‘

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This gives us an idea of how fearful Shaq was during his time in the NBA. The 4 time NBA champion overpowered almost everyone on the basketball court during his time. However, there were some players who gave O’Neal a tough time. One of them is Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon.

Former NBA star compares Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon

Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon are considered two of the best centers ever. Moreover, both of them are former No. 1 draft picks. While Shaq was selected by the Orlando Magic in 1992, the Rockets chose Hakeem as the number 1 pick during the 1984 draft.

Hakeem got the better of Shaq during the 1995 NBA finals when the Magic took on the Rockets. However, Quentin Richardson feels Hakeem would not be able to contain the Lakers version of Shaq.

Richardson said, “I don’t wanna disrespect the other centers in the history of the game, but Shaq like how dominant he was. Like I keep telling them, I don’t think Hakeem can hold the Lakers Shaq like how he did the Orlando Magic Shaq.”

Playing against Shaq, Hakeem averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. On the other hand, Shaquille O’Neal averages 24.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. (Source: landofbasketball.com)

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Who do you think is the most dominant player ever? Is it Shaquille O’Neal or is it someone else? Let us know in the comments down below.