Shaquille O’Neal is regarded as one of the best centers ever and the one thing which defined Shaq’s gameplay was physicality. It is not surprising to see a seven-foot-one athlete use his physicality to dominate the game and opponents.
Needless to say, Shaq was a master of it, as he established himself as one of the best. Shaq let the league know of his capabilities after bringing down the backboard in his first season.
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Shaquille O’Neal brings down the basket
During his rookie season with Orlando Magic in the 1992-93 season, Shaq already made a reputation of being one of the best talents in the league.
While playing against the New Jersey Nets during the 1992-93 season, Shaq made his presence known. A young O’Neal took the ball in the paint and took down the backboard in the process.
In the recent podcast with Gary Vee, Shaquille O’Neal talks about this incident. Shaq mentions,” I hated Dwayne Schintzius. He came on one day, he was walking around, a little girl asked him how’s the weather up there? He stood on her and said it was raining.” O’Neal adds, “I always hated him. So when I got the ball on him, I was like, you know what, I’m gonna make you pay.”
After the incident, a young Shaquille O’Neal walks off the court as if nothing happened. The play stopped for a while, for obvious reasons, and was restarted after getting a new backboard in place.
Shaq’s rookie season
Shaquille O’Neal started off his NBA career with the Orlando Magic, winning Rookie of the year for the 1992-93 season. He also finished 8th on the overall scoring list.
Shaq added to his incredible first season by being the first rookie since the great Michael Jordan to be named an All-Star.
O’Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.9 assists in 81 games played as a rookie. The arrival of Shaquille O’Neal proved to be a blessing. His team narrowly missed out on a playoff spot that year but they recorded their best season so far.
Shaq went on to win 4 NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. He retired with an average of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
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What is your favorite memory of Shaquille O’Neal? Let us know in the comments below.
