Twitter Reacts to Allen Iverson’s Emotional Birthday Message for Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greats for the game of basketball. His dominant style of play made him a force like no other. Recently, The Big Diesel celebrated his 50th birthday. And on the special occasion, an old friend sent in an emotional message for him. Allen Iverson pinned down a heartfelt birthday message for Shaq as he turned 50.

During Shaq’s time on the Lakers, AI was one of the best players in the league. The battle between these two stars was always legendary. Notably, Iverson won the MVP award over O’Neal back in 2001. After winning his first and only MVP, Iverson had a historic season and denied Shaq another MVP. However, the Big Aristotle got his revenge that season.

However, their pair grew a lot with time. Starting off as rivals, their relationship today is really close. And this is clearly evident from seeing Iverson send out a special message for Shaq on his 50th birthday.

Shaquille O’Neal hits another milestone

On the occasion of O’Neal’s big day, AI noted down the growth of their bond. He spoke about how their friendship has developed beyond the court. Both the superstars share a lot of respect for one another and it was great to see Iverson pin down such a heartfelt message. NBA fans also took notice and took to Twitter to react.

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While the NBA fans saw some humor and the good side in Iverson’s move, Shaq and AI were not always friends. Notably, the Big Diesel is the reason Iverson does not have an NBA championship on his resume.

In 2000, the Lakers duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were on fire. On the other hand, Allen Iverson single-handedly took the Philadelphia 76ers to the 2001 NBA finals. However, the series was rather one-sided.

O’Neal was as dominant as ever in the 2001 NBA finals. The Big Diesel put up 33 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.4 blocks per game. Moreover, his partner in crime, Kobe Bryant, played the perfect role behind Shaq. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the five games.

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Iverson played with a relatively older Dikembe Mutombo and didn’t get much support on the offensive end. However, that did not affect his performance. The MVP amassed 35.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the final series against The Lakers. In addition, Mutombo added 16.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. But the Lakers were too powerful for Philly as they won their second chip in a row.

If Iverson had more help, do you think he would be able to stop Shaq and Kobe? Let us know in the comments below.