Not Michael Jordan or Derrick Rose, but This Chicago Basketball Legend Got a Surprise Shoutout From Shaquille O?Neal

The Chicago Bulls franchise has a very rich history. Whether you look at the 6 championships or the immense talent, Chicago’s story is full of greatness. Further, the basketball scene in Chicago has always been among the best in the country. Year after year, we see the NBA draft bursting with Chicago kids. However, some names stand atop others in Chicago lore. Chief among them, would of course be Michael Jeffrey Jordan. The NBA’s residential GOAT, and the main driving force for the Bulls’ 6 titles, Jordan was the epitome.

Since Mike, there has been one name that captured the hearts of the entire fanbase. Not just in Chicago, but league-wide. However, it wasn’t this hometown hero that received a shoutout from the league’s most dominant force, Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaquille O’Neal and his love for hoop

The sheer excellence that was?Diesel?on the basketball court makes his opinions on the sport always valuable. It is clearly evident that Shaq loves basketball if you follow the man’s social media. Regularly, O’Neal is consuming basketball, from over the world, across genders. Further, basketball questions or dream scenarios will regularly be a feature on his Instagram page. All this to say, his knowledge of the game is immeasurable.

So, it came as no surprise when the 4-time NBA Champion had a surprising shoutout to make. During Shaq’s true rise to power, at the start of the 2000 season, the NBA saw another phenom. A relatively low-key addition to the Phoenix Suns team was Paul McPherson from Chicago.

While his career was extremely short, extending to just 55 games, McPherson was one for the culture. Ever since his high school days, Paul was a freak athlete. Mixtapes for a 6’4 guard with insane bounce are commonplace nowadays. But, was a rarity back then. McPherson was a sensation during his college days in Chicago as well. The now 45-year-old played for the DePaul Blue Demons for a year.

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O’Neal shared the video uploaded by the Instagram page, ‘THE DUNK Guy’. The caption read, “PMac terrorized the Windy City in high school with some of the sickest crossovers, windmills and posters ever. He would have been Zion if social media was around when he was at TCC.”

Unfortunately, McPherson spent the majority of his career in minor leagues or overseas. However, a short explosive guard from Chicago took the mold from Paul and perfected it.

The youngest MVP in league history

The craze for another short guard from Chicago with insane bounce was immense. Coming out of Memphis, a place he’s finally returning to, there were no questions about who the Chicago Bulls would select with the first-overall pick. But no one could have ever seen his meteoric rise incoming.

Derrick Rose immediately lit up the entire league. In two seasons, he was well on his way toward the upper echelon of the league’s stars. His true moment came just before the start of his crowning season. Prior to the 2010-11 season, Rose made a now famous proclamation.

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“Why can’t I be the league’s MVP?”?While his initial question was laughed off, a year later no one was laughing. Coming off an incredible season, and leading the Bulls to the first seed, Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP in the NBA’s storied history.

A star was born, and Chicago had its savior. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his momentum, but Rose remains a solid veteran piece in the NBA. While most remember the spectacular experience that was Rose, only a true historian like Shaq could remember the originator.