“Shaq Didn’t Like Him”: Hakeem Olajuwon’s Ex-Agent Reveals What Shaquille O’Neal Told Him About Rockets Legend

From the time Shaquille O’Neal became a brute force at LSU, he had never faced an equal rival. It remained the same in the NBA. As a rookie, the ‘Shaq Attack’ left blood, pain, and misery along its path. That was, at least until he met his match. Caped in the Houston red, Shaq’s first major nemesis would be ‘The Dream’ Hakeem Olajuwon.

They had faced in prior All-Star games with the Magic’s domineering center having some highlight plays against Olajuwon. But he would see his true colors on the biggest of stages, during the 1995 NBA Finals. On one side was a destructive and youthful Big Diesel whose Orlando Magic had just eliminated Michael Jordan and the ferocious Bulls in the previous rounds. Shaq couldn’t have had more reassurance. But Hakeem Olajuwon was known as ‘The Dream’ for a reason. He was also picked over Jordan in his draft for a reason.

In his quest to get to the bottom of this intriguing rivalry, EssentiallySports gets into an exclusive conversation to understand how their common ex-agent, Leonard Armato feels about this. Armato opened up to our NBA correspondent on the kind of relationship Hakeem and Shaq shared and gave us more insights. Check out the excerpt of this conversation!

Vishal: Were you representing Hakeem before Shaq?

Leonard Armato: Yeah, I was representing Hakeem before, and then I got Shaq, umm, as well. So I had both of them. You know they had a really key time in both of their careers. Hakeem was a little bit older and more experienced, and then Shaq came into the league and I introduced them. Hakeem actually helped him, worked with him, and they became friends, even before Shaq was in the league and then interestingly enough, you know, by the time Shaq I think, was in his third season, he was in the NBA Finals against Hakeem and that was a fun time.

Vishal: Yeah yeah, so was there mutual respect there, or would you say they were more like rivals after that series?

Leonard Armato: I think there was always a mutual respect and in fact, Shaq said I respected him way too much. He didn’t like him as much, I think he said, but you know, they were both obviously extraordinary players, had little bit different styles, but so effective in their own ways, and Hakeem was an amazing player, a tremendous human being and always willing to help others. If you recall, he has a history of helping a lot of players over time. He helped Shaq, he helped Kobe, he helped LeBron. So Hakeem has got this legacy of helping players realize their potential.

Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t envious of the historically great center for no reason. Those feelings were compelled out of him. You see during that 1995 NBA Finals, it was the first time Shaq had been truly outclassed. Through dreamy footwork, impeccable defense, and brimming desire, Hakeem Olajuwon swept Shaq and the Magic. In basketball terms, he schooled the Big Aristotle, averaging 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2 blocks per game.

Shaquille O’Neal gave a tough fight averaging 28 and 12.5. But even then Hakeem Olajuwon was simply unbeatable during this Rockets run. The loss would fuel Shaq with an unquenchable thirst which could only be diffused with a title. He had to wait a few years to get to LA for fulfillment. However, to ease his pain, he made Hakeem Olajuwon a target for any time they would cross paths.

How the 1995 loss shaped Shaquille O’Neal for the future

The 1995 Finals against Hakeem Olajuwon was the first time Shaq had ever reached the promised land. In doing so, he had beat down the Celtics and the Bulls, two of the most prominent franchises at the time. When speaking on All The Smoke, Shaq could remember feeling untouchable once they beat Jordan. “We beat Mike, we straight,” he told Matt Barnes.

Eventually, he realized his mistake. He had underestimated Olajuwon’s elegance and the Rockets’ fervor. After they got swept, Shaq realized he had to lead emphatically and couldn’t afford to be complacent. “If I ever get back to the Finals ever again, I got to dominate. 40s. Forget that 20 and 10 I have been talking about. I got to be in the 40s,” the four-time champion admitted.

Shaquille O’Neal would reach the biggest stage of the NBA season another five times. From 1999-2001 no one was as dominant as Shaquille O’Neal. Alongside a young and vigorous Kobe Bryant, he led the Lakers to a three-peat and won Finals MVP in every one of those Finals. No matter who the opposition is, the Diesel squashed them while the Black Mamba stole their hopes. To this day, not a single team has achieved a three-peat since.

That is all from this segment of our exclusive conversation with Leonard Armato. More is on the way, so be on the lookout for further stories from our talk with Shaq’s ex-agent!