$1 Million Worth Game Between Shaquille O?Neal and 12x NBA All-Star Almost Came to Fruition Thanks to Donald Trump in 1995

Before Shaquille O’Neal could fathom the scale of the league, his face had, by then, already been plastered all over. When the seven-foot legend realized his potential, he was even ready to face his childhood heroes. The 21-year-old was obviously shaky during his early years, but after his first NBA Final, he couldn’t be scared off. A fact that was proved when he challenged his childhood hero to a one-on-one battle for $1 Million, courtesy of Donald Trump.

Hakeem Olajuwon swept Shaq and the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals. Although the defeat was tough, Shaq still believed he could defeat the Rockets legend one-on-one. An event was almost hosted featuring both of them in one of Donald Trump’s properties.

Shaquille O’Neal challenged his childhood hero to a one-on-one?

Although the Big Aristotle was surprised to play against the players he admired, he was quick to catch on as he played his first NBA Final in 1995. Shaq played against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets only to be swept by their force.

The result of the finals made Olajuwon the best big man in the NBA in everyone’s opinion. An opinion that Shaq wasn’t quite fond of. To prove his worth, Shaq challenged the Rockets legend to a one-on-one matchup in September 1995.?

To everyone’s surprise, Olajuwon agreed and a match was scheduled to be held at Trump’s Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.? The prize money for the winner was $1 Million and Donald Trump made sure it was well-advertised.

Both the big men of the league even flew to New York to shoot a commercial for the event hosted by Trump. Unfortunately, it never happened as the Rockets legend was injured before the matchup and backed off a day before the event.

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From the outside, the challenge could be perceived as arrogance. But if anyone knows the respect Shaq holds for Olajuwon they’d know it was just confidence.

Shaq’s change in outlook?

Like any 21-year-old, the Big Aristotle wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence in his NBA debut. He grew up looking at players like Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon and dreamt of playing alongside them. However, with time, the seven-foot giant realized that he was as capable as the other legends in the league.

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In his recent HBO documentary Shaq, the big man revealed how he was a victim of his own self. His father motivated him to be himself and not try and imitate his childhood heroes.