Shaquille O' Neal: An Incredible Career but how good was he?
Shaquille O’Neal: Physical, Dominant, Playful and a Winner. How good was Shaq?
Shaq signs for the Magic
Looking back at the incredible career of Shaquille O’Neal and answering the question… How good was he?
“Peace I gotta go, I ain’t no joke, now I slam it, jam it, and make sure it’s broke!”
Those are some lyrics from a popular Rap song made in 1994 entitled “Can We Rock”. What does the song have to do with the sport of basketball?
Would you believe that the line was uttered by one of basketball’s most dominant centers and players ever?
In fact, an argument can be made that this man is possibly the most physically dominant player in all of the professional sports worldwide.
The inability of defenders to stop him left an impact on the sport that lends itself to the idea that there has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone greater to play in the NBA. The beauty of the series of articles about The Greatest Players In NBA History is that there is no particular order, and the list of those who are on and off of it, was designed to spark great debate.
Shaquille O’Neal is not considered to be even the best center ever, let alone one of the top 10 greatest of all time in the NBA.
How good was Shaq? That’s the question. Roger Cumberbatch provides some answers.
“Little” Shaq - The early life of Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal, was 6 feet and 6 inches in his freshman year of high school.
It was due to his size and mischievous nature that his parents encouraged him to play basketball. After living most of his years while his birth father Joe Toney was imprisoned, Shaq gravitated to his step-father Phillip Harrison, an army sergeant.
Although a big child at heart, Shaq had and still has a military-type focus and respect for his career, which is something that Shaq credits Harrison and his mother Lucille O’Neal for.
Leading his high school to a 68-1 record, Shaq’s 791 rebounds in 1989 remains a Texas record. It was very clear early on that a legend has been born.
NCAA to NBA for Shaq
Fast forward to a brief stint at Louisiana State University (LSU), 3 years, and Shaq entered the 1992 NBA Draft. The Orlando Magic selected O’Neal first overall and immediately saw how he would elevate the franchise and the sport.
Shaq was the first player ever to win Rookie Of The Week in his first week, shooting nearly 57% and averaging 23.4 PPG, 13.9 RPG, and 3.5 BPG, in his rookie campaign.
Despite winning 20 games more than the season prior to his arrival, O’Neal’s Magic failed to make the playoffs.
In only his 3rd season in the NBA, Shaq led Orlando through the 1995 NBA Playoffs, including eliminating Michael Jordan in his return to basketball. The Magic faced the Houston Rockets and were swept 4-0. The physically imposing O’Neal was stifled and mystified by his counterpart, Hakeem Olajuwon.
It remains one of the only blemishes on Shaq’s resume, the fact that head to head against one of the game’s greatest centers, he failed to bring home the big prize.
Shaquille O’Neal Vs Hakeem Olajuwon
In 20 games against Olajuwon, O’Neal averaged 22.1 points, and 12.4 rebounds.
Hakeem posted lower numbers than his season average when encountering “The Big Aristotle”, one of Shaq's many nicknames.
Olajuwon averaged 18.4 points, and 9.1 rebounds. Not only did O’Neal outplay the best center on offense, he also played a major role in reducing Hakeem’s numbers from the usual.
Shaq and the Lakers
Shaq left Orlando for Los Angeles, and won 3 NBA Championships as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Alongside the late Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed in a helicopter accident in 2020, O’Neal guided the yellow and gold to 3 straight titles.
After feeling as though he was no longer wanted, Shaq bolted for the Miami Heat, where he and Dwayne Wade won the 2006 NBA title. O’Neal bounced around chasing titles and trying to assist others chasing their first, before retiring in 2011, a shadow of his former dominant self. It was time.
Shaq’s Career Stats: Not Top 10?
Shaq’s career statistics are quite impressive but do not rank even among the top 5 greatest centres ever.
● 4x NBA Champion
● 3x NBA Finals MVP
● 2000 NBA MVP
● 15x NBA All-Star
● 3x NBA All-Star Game MVP
● 8x All-NBA First Team
● 2x All-NBA Second Team
● 2x NBA Scoring Champion (1995,200)
● 1993 NBA Rookie Of The Year
Shaq Off-Court
Shaquille O’Neal was a presence off of the court during his playing days and still is. Shaq’s likeness is behind several products, companies, and in various television commercial advertisements.
As fans of O’Neal, we have seen a decent rap career, been subjected to some non-Oscar-worthy films in which he was the star, and enjoy his commentary on the Emmy Award-winning NBA on TNT.
At The Buzzer
The signature smile, playful antics, loveable attitude, were only dwarfed by his size.
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2016, as of the same year, Shaq was worth an estimated $350 million.
19 seasons, 4 championships, 6 teams, the NCAA All-time blocks leader, had his number 32 retired by LSU, and has a bronze statue in his honour outside of the university, these accomplishments automatically make O’Neal a legend.
“Superman” aka Shaq, had an illustrious and dominating career, but did not have the statistics that would justify placing him on a list of the greatest of all time. Compared to the greatest centers, Shaq’s career scoring average is the only way he is in the lead.
O’Neal did not lead the league in blocked shots, he never was the Defensive Player of the Year, and failed to elevate his game in a direct matchup with the best center, Hakeem Olajuwan.
Shaquille O’Neal may not have made the cut for The 10 Greatest NBA Players In NBA History, but his impact on the game, influence in the media, and contributions to society off of the court make him one of the greatest athletes in history, and is, without doubt, one of the NBA’s greatest players.
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