Shaquille O’Neal was a behemoth for almost all of his teams back in the day. Crushing everything in his way and dominating the hardwood was something he did every night. Besides brute strength, he was as technical of a center as they came. O’Neal moved with finesse. His offensive skill set included flawless footwork, a quick first step, and a great touch around the basket. Diesel was so overpowering that forcing him to the free throw line was the best defense one could play against him.

“Hack-a-Shaq” was a popular term around the league. And that could be owed to his horrendous shooting from the stripe. Teams intentionally fouled Shaq to prevent him from scoring as efficiently.

He shot 52.7 percent from the stripe for his career, which is 5.5 percent lower than what he shot from the field.

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People have primarily held his botched free-throw stroke against him. In fact, Shaq’s son once called out those keyboard warriors who have ridiculed his dad for his flaw.

Shaquille O’Neal came to his and his son’s rescue by silencing the critics of his free throw shooting

To this day, Shaquille O’Neal‘s free-throw shooting is mocked. However, considering that it didn’t stop him from cementing his dominance, it’s probably the last thing the big man cares about.

His sons must occasionally cope with their father’s hecklers. In fact, his eldest son, Shareef O’Neal, once called out the loudmouths.

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Shareef shared an Instagram picture of himself and his brother Shaqir facing the hecklers. While the picture was interesting in itself, the caption added to the interest. “When y’all both missing free throws and someone in the crowd start saying ‘JUST LIKE YA DADDY.'” 

Shaquille O’Neal witnessed this and came rushing to intervene. He reminded the loudmouths that, despite his struggles at the stripe, he is still one of the best ever to step on the hardwood. “And tell ’em you daddy the best to ever do it , but then again u ain’t gotta say nothing. THEY ALREADY KNOW,” Shaq wrote in the comments.

O’Neal is among the most humble people, but he knows his place among the NBA’s greats. His free-throw shot was ridiculed throughout his career, but he punished the rim on multiple occasions for those bricked shots.

All jokes aside, Shaq’s dominance in the NBA is well documented. People will continue to criticize the big man, but his legacy will serve as a constant reminder of his greatness.