Shaquille O?Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, and the rest is history. The Big man played 8 seasons for the Lakers and won 3 NBA championships. Shaquille O?Neal played for 6 different teams and was considered to be the most dominant player in the paint. Shaq retired from the NBA in 2011 being the 5th all-time scorer in the NBA. Post retirement Shaquille O?Neal became an NBA pundit for the show Inside The NBA?with fellow NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.?
The 4x NBA champion on a show revealed how dominating and at the same time agile the Big man was. He said that Shaq was as swift and nimble as the actor Kevin Hart. The four-time NBA champion also compared Shaquille O’Neal to an orca, saying, “He Black….Looked like an Orca.?
Shaquille O’Neal’s initial disdain for the triangle offense
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Kevin Garnett shared a video on his story where NBA legend John Salley, who played for three different teams and won four championships, told a great story about teammate Shaquille O’Neal on a podcast with Kevin Garnett. Salley, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1999?2000 season, said that Shaquille O’Neal hated the triangle offense at first. Over time, though, Shaq came to fully grasp the strategy’s potential and began employing it himself.
Against formidable opponents like the Detroit Pistons, the triangle offense was the brainchild of Phil Knight. The renowned coach of the Chicago Bulls developed the strategy for players like Michael Jordan and was a potent weapon.
Shaq’s massive frame worked out well for the corner option. He quickly learned that anytime it was used, the ball would eventually find its way to him. Because of his stature and talent, Shaq was able to cause havoc for his opponents. He sealed victories for his team inside the paint, where he became a dominant force.
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“As soon as you hit corner option Shaq would just back you down throw the ball right last and then that changed it became like a one-on-one for Shaq. He had to figure that out though and once he did,?he became a whole different player.”
John Salley, on the interesting podcast with Kevin Garnett, remarked on Shaquille O’Neal’s incredible physicality.
Salley had a humorous take on the secret ‘Kevin Hart’ inside Shaq
Salley argued that Shaq was an entirely unique species when compared to other basketball greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Shaq towered over his opponents at about 7 feet 1 inches tall. He moved with the grace and ease of a much smaller player, belying his massive size.
?Shaq was the most phenomenal specimen of a human being – he can swim, he black so he looked like an orca,? Salley joked that perhaps a little Kevin Hart was secretly directing Shaq’s every move from inside his huge physique.?
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“There’s like a five-six dude inside of his chest controlling everything, like he, like kevin hart is inside of Shaq.??
Shaquille O’Neal’s remarkable mix of size and talent garnered him the adulation of fans and other players alike. Shaq’s talent and physicality allowed him to accomplish everything from dominating the paint to surprising everyone with his nimbleness.
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