In the early 2000s, Shaquille O’Neal was an absolute savage on the court. During his prime, Shaq was an unstoppable force, and he made sure everyone knew it. His sheer size and strength made him an imposing presence in the paint. But it wasn’t just his physical attributes that made him a beast on the court. When it came to trash-talking, DJ Diesel was a master of the art. His vocal game was just as fierce as his on-court presence, and he knew how to get inside the heads of his opponents. Erick Dampier, like many others, found himself in the crosshairs of Shaq’s verbal onslaught.

But 18 years after his biting remarks at Dampier, his 13-year-old son catches O’Neal’s attention.

Erick Dampier Jr catches Big Man’s attention

Erick Dampier’s son, Erick Dampier Jr, although only thirteen stands at a staggering 6’8″. It’s a height more commonly associated with NBA players in their prime, not someone who hasn’t even reached high school. To put things into perspective, the kid’s as tall as Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Julius Randle. And he isn’t done growing. Erick Dampier’s son is, quite literally, head and shoulders above his peers.

This towering teenager is not just holding his own, he’s dominating the court while playing with older boys. The video clips of Dampier’s son on court have taken the internet by storm. Such as this one that caught O’Neal’s attention.

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Shaquille O’Neal came across the post by MADE Hoops and added the post to his story.

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Shaq has his eyes set on the teenager is interesting, especially when you consider the history of trash talk and on-court battles between Shaq and the elder Dampier nearly two decades ago.

Shaquille O’Neal and Erick Dampier back in the day

Back in the early 2000s, when Shaquille O’Neal was in the prime of his career, he faced off against Erick Dampier on numerous occasions. The trash talk between the two was legendary, with Shaq using his gift for words to try to gain a mental edge over his opponent. The battles between them were fierce, and Dampier, like many others, felt the brunt of Shaq’s intimidation tactics.

Erick Dampier, a 6-foot-11, 265-pound center, entered the NBA as the 10th overall pick in the star-studded 1996 NBA draft. He played a solid 16 years in the league and also gathered relentless verbal jabs from Shaq. One of the most memorable instances was when Shaq humorously likened his own physical condition to Dampier’s fragility. In 2005, Shaq, while playing for the Miami Heat, bruised his right thigh which forced him to sit out on a playoff game for the first time in his career. He said, referring to the sore leg, “I know one day, I’m going to wake up and it’s not going to be there. When that day comes, whoever we’re playing, they’re going to be in trouble … I’ve been playing like Erick Dampier.” Ouch!

He, however, wasn’t done just yet. In 2017, Shaquille O’Neal came out with a diss track aimed at LaVar Ball. However, he also sneaked in insults at Dampier.

The lyrics read:

“You beating me? That’s a bunch of baloney
You think you Mailman? You ain’t even Jeff Maloney.
When did you play? Huh? What year?
Oh yeah, you played for Dallas. Erick Dampier.”

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Erick Dampier may have been on the receiving end of some of Shaq’s most entertaining remarks, but his son, Erick Dampier Jr seems to have piqued Big Man’s interest!