33 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game — 2001 Finals Shaquille O’Neal was a different breed. Well, in complete fairness, Shaq was a beast in all the seasons of his 3-peat with the Los Angeles Lakers. But turns out, there was just a bit extra motivation for the ’01 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. And the motivation was nothing else but a sense of professional jealousy. Something that O’Neal has admitted pushes him to his best like anything.

Appearing on the Houston Texans’ Goat Talk podcast, Shaq recalled the time when the Lakers were set to face the 76ers in the Finals. “My Uncle Jerome (Shaquille O’Neal’s security coordinator, Jerome Crawford)… Everybody know we gonna beat Philly, but he (Uncle Jerome) want to make sure. So he comes here early in the morning… And he slapped the paper down… ‘Dikembe [Mutombo] said he gonna play you one on one.'”

Now, while recalling the incident, Shaq did not forget to pay his respect to the departed soul. “Dikembe… I love you, brother. Rest in peace…” With this, he went back to the incident in discussion. He recalled Mutombo’s stand being he is the Defensive Player of the Year so he needs no double-team for Shaq. “So I got to give it to him… He was a great guy. But jealousy motivates me. Doubters motivate me. All this stuff motivates me…” 

Back in 2001, though, respect wasn’t on Shaq’s mind—it was dominance. The Sixers had traded for Mutombo mid-season, and the move had everyone buzzing. Even Allen Iverson, the heart and soul of Philly, was hyped. “I’d be lying to you all if I didn’t say this guy could help us win a championship… He’s a rebounder, he’s an intimidator, he can change the game all by himself, offensively and defensively,” Al said. Mutombo was named the DPOY for the fourth time in his career in 2001 and at the time, no one else had more than two.

But here’s the thing–Mutombo could do little to stop Shaq. Honestly, no one could have stopped that version of O’Neal. He steamrolled through the Finals, averaging those jaw-dropping numbers. And making it painfully clear that no one—not even a 7’2″ 4x DPOY—could contain him. The Sixers managed to steal Game 1, thanks to Iverson’s iconic 48-point performance. But eventually, the Lakers won the series in five games.

A head-to-head comparison between Shaquille O’Neal and Dikembe Mutombo

Let’s start with Shaq. The numbers speak volumes: 21 wins in their matchups, including 4 in the playoffs. He averaged a monstrous 23.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. And those game highs? A jaw-dropping 44 points, 20 rebounds, and 8 blocks!

Shaq’s sheer dominance often left opponents scrambling, and against Mutombo, he managed to outscore, out-rebound, and out-block him in most games. But don’t sleep on Dikembe. The big man may have only won 8 games, but his defense was a nightmare for any opponent.

Averaging 9.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks, he consistently protected the rim. In 13 games, he recorded more blocks than Shaq—a testament to his shot-stopping skills. The 2001 NBA Finals, however, was a different story. A story of Shaquille O’Neal’s domination alongside Kobe Bryant.