Michael Jordan indirectly played a huge part in changing Shaquille O’Neal‘s perspective on basketball. The 7-foot giant’s love for the game helped him become a top prospect before he got drafted into the NBA. First, he dominated in school, then at college with the LSU Tigers, and later in the league. He, however, was not impressed by the players in the NBA before he got drafted; thinking they were not a big a challenge for him, that is until he met Michael Jordan. In his show The Big Podcast, the 4x champion opened up about Michael Jordan’s godly moves, that made him fall in love with basketball once again. 

Former NBA veteran JJ Redick questioned about the Chicago Bulls legend, and Shaq replied, “I don’t know what god looks like, but it’s like seeing god. Because I went to a couple of NBA games as a youngster. I wasn’t really impressed. David Robinson impressed a little bit, but the stuff that he[Jordan] did on TV, and then you see it in real life, it’s like ‘Oh my god, it is really real‘.” 

This is the effect that MJ had, not only on Shaq but on a lot of basketball fans back then. To put it in simple words, the NBA can be divided into two: Before Michael Jordan and after Michael Jordan. And Shaq’s above words are proof of it. Also, the Big Diesel went on to highlight the exact play with Jordan, which changed his perspective about the NBA. 

Shaq details how Michael Jordan got the best of him in his initial days in the NBA

Shaq had only a few competitors inside the paint. Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, David Robinson, etc. were a bit of a threat next to the rim. There was Michael Jordan too, who did not fear getting physical with some of the big centers. Shaq shared a moment on the court he had with MJ in the same podcast, “He came at me in one of the first plays of the game. In my mind, I’m like, I’m not getting dunked on. So I tried to meet him early. He slid by me, I bumped him, and he still laid it up off and the crowd went crazy.”

Shaq wasn’t a defensive threat, but scoring a double-clutch layup on him is not easy. But that’s just Michael Jordan for you! Shaq considered Jordan as a role model before he entered the NBA. After getting into the league, the respect only increased. While the above play was a humbling experience for Shaq, it also gave him some confidence to face the others. 

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