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“Shaq Had to Get Assaulted”: Undermining 340 Lbs Giant’s Prowess, 48 YO NBA Veteran’s Courage Had Kobe Bryant and Others in Splits

Published 09/19/2023, 10:30 AM EDT

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Imagine carrying a 6feet tall athlete on your back while in the midst of a basketball game! Well, sounds impossible? Well, not for Shaquille O’Neal. Apart from being a man of many talents, Shaq had a reputation of having brute physical power. From breaking backboards and hoops to bulldozing through his opponents, O’Neal gave his everything on the court. Once, this astounding physicality was on full display in front of none other than Kobe ‘Black Mamba’ Bryant and an NBA veteran was on the receiving end.

Recently, the 48-year-old NBA star highlighted a ridiculous in-game moment against ‘prime’ Shaquille O’Neal.

Late Kobe Bryant’s hilarious response

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Late Kobe Bryant was the greatest student of the game. His dedication towards perfecting his craft led him to 5 NBA championships in his career. However, during his iconic three-peat in 2000-2002, he definitely had some help from his 340 lbs Lakers’ teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

In the Instagram post, Allen Iverson can be seen giving an interview in which he describes a courageous in-game moment of his against the Los Angeles Lakers. He said, “Shaq had to get assaulted every single game. I remember we was playing them. It was a regular season game. I remember they threw it to him (the ball) and I tried to foul him.”.

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The NBA Hall of Famer further explains, “I tried to foul him before he was going up. I remember jumping on his back…and he took me up with him.”. As the crowd that he was narrating the story to erupted in laughter, Iverson recalled Bryant’s hilarious response to his hopeless defensive strategy. Shocked by Allen Iverson’s courage, late Kobe Bryant said to him, “Are you trying to die?

Allen Iverson praised Shaquille O’Neal as he said, “How many times did they foul him and didn’t call the foul. I’m talking about the most dominant.”. In the recent Instagram video that Iverson posted, he said this about Prime Shaq, “We could’ve got them(Lakers) but we ran into Shaquille O’Neal in his prime. Couldn’t nobody do nothing with Shaq. Nothing. It wasn’t even close. Best ‘Big Man’ ever.”.

Many, including the legendary Iverson, believe that Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant NBA center of all time. But why?

Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance on the court

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To give perspective on how dominant Shaquille O’Neal was during his prime, one needs to check his stats during his iconic 2000-2002 three-peat with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 2000 NBA finals against Indiana Pacers, Shaquille O’Neal averaged 38 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and shot 61% from the field. Against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA finals, he averaged 33 points, 15.8 rebounds, close to 5 assists, 3.4 blocks and 57.3% from the field per game.

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What are your thoughts on Allen Iverson’s courages attempt against prime Shaquille O’Neal? Let us know in the comments below!

WATCH THIS STORY| Shaquille O’Neal backpedals on Dillon Brooks, 5 months after mocking Canadian hero-for poking LeBron James shares GOATED FIBA WC Moment

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Written by:

Akhil Chakravarthy

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Akhil is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following the NBA for more than a decade and represented his state at the National level. To hone his understanding of the inner workings of the game, he closely follows the analysis of popular NBA insiders and reporters like Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania.
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Edited by:

Debmallya Chakraborty