Very few players have ever truly “dunked on” Shaq because he would either block the attempt, foul the player before they could dunk, or get out of the way if he felt the play was already lost. So when former BYU star AJ Dybantsa made the bold claim that he would “dunk” on the legendary big man, O’Neal, unbothered, while still munching on his snacks, shut him good with a simple response.
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“No,” Shaquille O’Neal responded to AJ Dybantsa. “Only being dunked on three times in 19 years.”
AJ Dybantsa on Shaq: "I'll dunk on him" 😭
According to Shaq, the most legitimate poster came from Derrick Coleman while Coleman was with the Nets. Shaq has told the story multiple times: Coleman caught him cleanly, and afterward he decided he was “not getting dunked on anymore.” However, in a later interview, he expanded the list to three NBA players: Derrick Coleman, Michael Jordan, and Tim Perry.
One of the funniest O’Neal stories involves Jordan. The Lakers legend recalled entering a game against Jordan, determined not to become a highlight. His mindset was basically the promise he made after the Coleman 1993 incident. Instead, His Airness slipped around him and finished. Shaq later described playing against Jordan as “seeing God” because the things he saw on television looked even more unbelievable in person.
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NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Hall of Fame Series-Las Vegas-Villanova at Brigham Young Nov 3, 2025 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa 3 speaks during a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz after the Hall of Fame Series game against the Villanova Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCandicexWardx 20251103_jhp_wb4_0624
Hall of Fame center Alonzo Mourning once joked about Shaq’s ‘simple’ strategy for avoiding posters. He said that O’Neal used to foul guys before they could finish, and Mourning’s point wasn’t that Shaq was dirty. Rather, he understood that a hard foul was better than ending up on every highlight show in America.
While Shaq hated being posterized, he produced some of the most vicious dunks ever. The most famous was against Chris Dudley in 1999. He dunked on the former Knicks player, stepped over him, and then shoved him away while trying to untangle himself. Dudley responded by throwing the ball at Shaq. That moment remains one of the most replayed NBA highlights ever.
His next challenger is not an unfamiliar face in the ‘art’ of dunking. Dybantsa’s dunking ability is basically one of the loudest parts of his entire scouting profile and a big reason he’s viewed as a potential No. 1 pick-level athlete in the 2026 NBA Draft conversation.
Why Dybantsa could be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
Selecting the No. 1 overall pick could be tricky for the Washington Wizards. Dybantsa is part of a three-player elite tier with Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer. But most public boards, scouts, and NBA executives currently have Dybantsa as the favorite.
Scouts consider scoring his biggest strength. At BYU, he averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, while leading Division I basketball in scoring as a freshman.
“Young man, I’m proud of you. I wish you well. I love what you stand for, and I’ll be watching my brother,” O’Neal said to Dybantsa in a recent interview.
Most public boards have him at No. 1, and recent reporting around teams such as the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz reflects that many front offices are treating him as the favorite to be selected first overall.