Every sport has some athletes who perform extraordinarily well. The sporting organizations felicitate the athletes with a token of appreciation. But when the sport has a group of athletes who have performed beyond expectation, it sometimes becomes unfair to award only one of the players. Something like this happened in the NBA with the 7-foot giant Shaquille O’Neal. He was on the verge of becoming the league’s first unanimous MVP.

However, a single vote by a CNN reporter robbed him of that distinction, leaving the basketball world with frustration. But in a recent interview, the 4x champion Stephen Curry spoke about this mishap and shared his thoughts.

Curry speaks about the accolade stolen from O’Neal

Stephen Curry is one of the most popular players in the NBA currently. The player has not only proved how well he can play the game, but also for having revolutionized the game of basketball. He holds the record for the number of three-pointers made in NBA history. Curry has even taken his team to victory on multiple occasions and has won the NBA championship 4 times. And in 2016, Stephen Curry’s name went down in history as the first player to win the unanimous MVP award.

Curry’s record-breaking performance with the Golden State Warriors, averaging 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, solidified his place in basketball history. Although he won the award, Curry acknowledged that Shaquille O’Neal should have walked the path before him, citing O’Neal’s phenomenal 1999-00 season as a potential contender. And in a recent interview, Curry spoke about this matter on a public platform.

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Stephen Curry was asked in the interview as to which award is the most important to him between the All-time 3-point record and unanimous MVP. He said, “Unanimous MVP, for sure.? Adding to that, Curry said, ?I fully understand that I probably shouldn?t have been the first one, I think. The year Shaq won, he was a clear unanimous pick, even though it didn?t work out that way.??

Curry acknowledged Shaq’s monumental year and gave the legend the respect he deserves

Shaquille O’Neal’s dominant era in the NBA

As a player, Shaq was something of a mystery for opposition coaches. For a man of his size to move with the agility and skill that he had made him impossible to guard. His 1999-00 season was marked by impressive stats, including 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 67-15 record and the first seed in Western Conference.

His 2000 season was so good that he won NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star game MVP, and NBA Scoring Title. Due to that, the fans assumed that he will be the unanimous MVP, but fate had other plans for him. Shaq’s dream of being the first unanimous MVP was shattered when Fred Hickman voted for Allen Iverson during the historic moment.

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The 2000 NBA MVP race highlights the distinction between greatness and missed opportunities. A lack of a unanimous MVP marked Shaquille O’Neal’s career, causing contemplation about what could have been. Stephen Curry’s acknowledgment further supports O’Neal’s deservingness of the honor that eluded him.