Shaquille O'Neal breaks the basketball goal boards
In basketball, when we talk about intimidation, greatness, and power, we think of Shaquille O'Neal, whose supernatural strength became a headache for NBA players because he destroyed basketball boards every time he scored a goal. He was the one who forced the NBA to create and strengthen all tackles on an annual basis.
He must have come to change everything in basketball, as his talent and determination made everyone consider him one of the five best basketball players in history, sharing this success and glory with the great King Michael Jordan.
There is no doubt that Shaquille O'Neal is distinguished by his shape and height, which are estimated at 2.16 centimeters, and his weight, which ranges between 147 and 163 Kilograms. At the same time, he has great speed, which is something that terrifies his opponents. He was a machine to put the ball into the basket, and no one could stop him. Rather, many envied him for his skills.
The start of Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille was part of the Lakers' golden era in Los Angeles, despite playing alongside Kobe Bryant, who was also at the start of his career. However, history has shown that Shaquille O'Neal was more distinguished and brilliant. From 2000 to 2002, he won three championships with the Lakers and received the MFP Award each time.
We can say that this athlete was a bright face that filled the void that the NBA was feeling, but when Shaquille O'Neal began to emerge in basketball, most of the legends of this sport were in the process of retiring. It seemed that the appearance of Shaquille O'Neal would change history forever by opening the doors to a new golden generation of basketball.
His full name is Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal. He was born on March 6, 1972, in New Jersey. During his childhood, he favored Spider-Man over superheroes. As a result, in an attempt to imitate Spider-Man, he broke his wrists while jumping from a tree as a young child, and when his father saw this dangerous and large jump, he taught him how to play basketball after he recovered.
He used to practice this exercise before eating, and then he was given a strict and military diet based mainly on proteins. It is said that the credit for this is due to his obtaining this huge body that carried him to the NBA.
Shaquille O'Neal joins the NBA
- Finally, after graduating from high school, Shaquille O'Neal attended a university in Louisiana and played for three years in the university's league, where he was regarded as the best player in the competition.
- He did not need to pass any tests to enter the NBA because of his complete control and desperate defenses, given his size, did not pass normally but rather drew the attention of talent scouts.
- Before he joined any club, his name had begun to emerge as a big and promising face in the NBA, and when he turned 24, O'Neal was chosen to play for the Orlando Magic in the first round of the collective player draft.
- The NBA promoted him in 1992, bringing him to the largest league in basketball.
- In his first match, he made 18 attempts to score a goal, and after a week of professional league play, he was named the competition's best player.
- He took part in the All-Star game, becoming the youngest player to do so, which is an unprecedented feat for a rookie.
Shaquille broke the glass plates
At the start of his second season with the NBA, he became the eighth-leading scorer, and people began attending his games, early waiting for Shaquill to break the glass plates. Fortunately, the player did not suffer any injuries or fractures in any of the videos that he filmed, and the NBA was soon perplexed about what to do with him because he was such a big draw for the fans.
However, because it damaged the basket support, the matches would stop or be delayed, and this could not continue, so basketball management agreed to manufacture, support, and strengthen the basket posts in all of the country's stadiums.
In this third season, his strength was increasing day by day, and this was enough for him to become the most expensive player in the NBA. Everyone wanted him, but the Los Angeles Lakers retained his services. That was in 1996, and they paid for it at that time for the largest sum in the history of the sport, estimated at 121 million dollars. For seven years.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's Friendship
The Lakers were coming out of a drought and knew that with him, they would be able to achieve anything. The combination of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led to the formation of a Lakers team capable of defeating all other teams. Shaquille O'Neal's most successful season was 1990-2000, as he won the MFP title that season.
Many people were envious because many players had a great season that year, but Shaquille O'Neal's style, which was amazing and exciting for the fans, highlighted the achievements of his teammates, and from that point forward, problems began to arise within the team, particularly in the locker rooms.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were like brothers. but despite that, they had a relationship that fluctuated between love and hate.They were two stars shining in the basketball sky. However, Shaquille shone brighter than Kobe, resulting in some confrontations.
Despite this, it appeared that they were banding together for the good of the team, and even brothers in life quarreled from time to time, but as stated above, Shaquille O'Neal's level never dropped, and the team continued to thrive.
The best match of Shaquille O'Neal's career
The best match of his sporting career was held on March 6, 2000, his twenty-eighth birthday, in which he earned 61 points and attempted 23 goals. Shaquille O'Neal was an exceptional player, particularly in terms of strength and skill level.
But the strange thing is that all the teams and the world under his influence realized that he was very bad at free kicks. He could have had the strongest records and defenses, but when he was tasked with talking a free kick, he always lost, as checking the path of the ball from a distance was very bad.
It is said that this is due to an injury that resulted from jumping from a tree when he was young while trying to imitate Spider-Man. throughout his career, he lost 5,371 free throws, which is the worst mark in the NBA, so teams were looking to shoot him down with some mistakes because they knew that he was never good at free throws, and this was what embarrassed the player who was trying to hide this defect.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant win
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won three consecutive championships with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and Shaquille O'Neal was named most valuable player at the time. Without a doubt, he filled the hole left by retired greats like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Shaquille was what the NBA needed at the time to stay in the lead and the situation quickly became difficult for Shaquille O'Neal. His weight was increasing more than expected, and he no longer exuded strength and solidity. He quickly became slower and less violent, which made the Lakers ring the alarm bells.
Everyone noticed that he was barely maintaining his level and that there was no progress. Because of fear, the Lakers did not want to extend his contract. they saw in him a star that was beginning to fade, and it became very likely that he would be injured at any moment due to his health condition.
Shaquille beginning for the Miami Heat
- For this reason, the 2004-2005 season included an agreement with the Miami Heat team. The outlook was questionable, and many thought he would start paying the price.
- However, in his presentation, Shaquille promised his fans a new championship, but despite those promises, his beginnings with the Miami Heat were not good, as he started playing while injured.
- In addition, he was trying to adapt to the new team and improve his physical fitness, and despite all that, he gave everything he could and was able to lead the Miami Heat to where he could, which demonstrated the extent of his commitment to the team.
- He also promised to join him the following year and in the following season, he was the missing element in the team's roster, influencing its image.
- The latter was in the best condition at the time. After the Chicago Bulls led the Miami Heat to their first NBA Final in history in 2006, Shaquille O'Neal promised them the championship and refused to rest until he got it.
Shaquille O'Neal defeats the Dallas Mavericks
After he gained the trust of the team to eventually win over the Dallas Mavericks, Shaquille won four matches in a row for his team in the end and won the championship, which made it the fourth championship for Shaquille O'Neal.
Thus, he did not fulfill the promise he made to his team, but rather the promise he made to himself. This is how he achieved everything more than once and with different teams, and when he was about to fall, he proved that he could rise and achieve glory again.
when he reached the age of 35 and after playing many matches, we can now say that the decline of the player began, as he began to suffer from injuries and excess weight, which made it very difficult for him to play, and soon he no longer represented even a shadow of what he was with the Lakers.
Shaquille O'Neal retires from basketball
He began to move from one team to another without achieving any notable achievements, and out of respect for his achievements and his fans, he accepted that his time had ended. Therefore, at the age of forty, on June 1, 2011, he announced on his Twitter page his final retirement from basketball, thus concluding an immortal career in this sport.
Kobe Bryant stated that if he had controlled his weight, he would have avoided injuries and reached greater championships, as was the case with Michael Jordan. This was the story of Shaquille O'Neal, who was synonymous with power and control in basketball, and the world will remember him as the most terrifying man the National Basketball Association has ever known.
