The NBA has given rise to some of the game’s most skilled and dominant players out there. Shaquille O’Neal is unquestionably at the forefront of that list. Night after night, he terrorized and entombed the opposition defenses with his brute strength and size.

His stature, though, was misleading, since he was exceptionally swift and light on his feet. There weren’t many centers in the league who could stand up to ‘The Big Diesel’. However, a rookie, Yao Ming, caught Shaq off guard in their first meeting and dominated the early exchanges.

Yao Ming brought his talents from China to the NBA in 2002, garnering much-deserved attention. Given his size of 7-foot-6, with an exceptional shooting touch for a man his size, many projected him to be a powerhouse. He took a while to acclimate after a slow start to his career in the NBA; however, he soon started to display flashes of brilliance in his rookie year.

However, Yao encountered his toughest challenge in January, when he had to face Shaquille O’Neal for the first time. The Lakers legend was coming off 3 straight Finals MVP seasons, meaning Yao was in for a wild ride.

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The fans were prepared for the two giants to collide and so was Yao ready to show out. Shaq, on the other hand, who may have misjudged his adversary, quickly discovered that Yao was capable of giving him a hard time.

Yao Ming dominated the early exchanges against Shaquille O’Neal

Yao Ming was in for the toughest challenge in his basketball career, as he was slated to encounter Shaquille O’Neal. However, he soon let the big man know what he was capable of, dominating the early exchanges.

A handful of people can claim to have blocked Shaq’s shot. However, only one person who can claim to have blocked his shot thrice, and too, in the first quarter is Yao.

Yao Ming blocked 3 shots from Shaq while scoring the Houston Rockets‘ opening 6 points. The young big man displayed his diverse skill set to get those buckets, including a turn-around jumper, a skyhook, and a p&r. While Yao was having the time of his life, Shaq was perplexed and looked furious.

However, Shaq being Shaq, displayed steel nerves and went on to dominate the ballgame. He finished with 31 points and 9 rebounds, whereas Yao Ming, who had a blazing start, finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Despite this, the Rockets managed to emerge victorious in overtime.

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Yao made a solid initial impression on Shaq. In their careers, the two big men encountered 18 times. Although Shaq accumulated the most victories with 10, Ming isn’t far behind with 8.

Ming, like Shaq, was destined to achieve greatness; however, injuries limited his career to only 8 seasons. Nonetheless, those seasons were enough for Yao Ming to cement himself as one of the game’s most skilled big men.

Interestingly, in 2016, Yao was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.