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“See M*th*rf***er?”: Despite Wanting to Mirror Magic Johnson, 7’1 Shaquille O’Neal Admits Father’s Fierce Love Helped Him Intimidate Opponents and Tear Down Rims

Published 10/12/2022, 10:30 AM EDT

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Shaquille O’Neal is known more as a TV personality and broadcaster nowadays. But the oldheads haven’t forgotten how scary he was at his peak. He dominated teams on the court. There was no one like O’Neal during his playing days. He had the right combination of speed, strength, and athleticism. His height and wingspan made it a whole lot easier for him to dominate the hardwood. Fans remember him for his monstrous dunks. He often broke rims during the early stage of his career until the NBA made it “Shaq proof”. But, Shaq had admitted that he once tried to shoot more jumpers like big men do today.

During an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast, Shaq admitted, “One day in Texas and lost only one high school game in two years. One day, I got 39 and 3. I’m working on my crossover. I lay a dude up finger roll and I miss. My father in his drill sergeant uniform walks on the court during the game and calls a time out. I was like ‘yo man call the timeout”, so they called the timeout. I go outside, ‘What are you doing!”

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Subsequently, Shaq said that he was working on his Dr. J. But before he could finish, his father smacked him.

Later on, Shaq revealed that his father told him to be himself. This made him mad and he channeled that anger to the dunks he made in each of his matches. The former player saw himself kicking while dunking which scared the other players. His father praised him after that, “See M*th*rf***er, that’s what I’m talking about!”

Shaq said that he idolized Magic Johnson and wanted to be like him. But it was not to be.

Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson were legendary in Los Angeles

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Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal have one common connection: the Los Angeles Lakers.  They both consider the Lakers to be their favorite team. They both became Hall Of Famers while playing for the yellow and purple brigade.

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Johnson revolutionized the NBA with his size and skills. The “Showtime” style ran through Magic’s hands. His handles and passing were exquisite. He also could shoot the ball well. Shaq was the polar opposite.

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Watch this Story: Who Was Drafted Before Michael Jordan? Where Are They Now and How Was Their Career?

What do you think of Shaq’s plays? Comment below.

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Written by:

Aditya Kar

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Aditya Kar is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. A holder of Bachelors and Masters degrees in History, he has been a fan of the NBA since 2011. He has a very keen interest in the stories that define the league and the sport.
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