6x NBA Champion Kareem Abdul Jabbar Once Got Critical of Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal over His Weakness: “He Doesn’t Have a Good Touch with the Ball”

Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal are two of the greatest basketball to ever grace the sport of basketball. These two Los Angeles Lakers giants dominated the court and left a legacy to inspire the upcoming generation. Shaq has such tremendous physical strength that he was nearly unstoppable. However, six-time NBA champion, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once made some remarks on Shaq’s weakness.

Shaquille O’Neal with his strength broke 19 rims throughout his career. One weakness in Shaq’s game that we often mention is his free throw shooting. The number he has put on the board is still unparalleled, but when it comes to his free throws, he is towards the back of the list. Throughout his career, Shaq missed a total of 5317 free throws. At 52.7%, his free throw percentage was almost pitiful.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar Made His Remarks on Shaq’s Weakness

In 1997, Sports Illustrated covered a piece of news in which Kareem Abdul made his remarks on Shaq’s free-throw shooting, saying “He doesn’t have a good touch with the ball.”

Kareem further added “Any shot that he takes from more than two feet that he can’t jam seems to lack touch. He’s not selfish, he plays hard, he plays for the team, but there’s just not much progress with the soft touch.”

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Magic Johnson is among the greatest free throw shooters of all time. Magic Johnson even said that he really can not figure out the problem with Shaq’s foul shooting. Later on, he speculated that Shaq was missing the rhythm. The 7’1″ giant did everything he can to improve his free throws. He used to arrive one hour before the training session and practice free throws. But after his injury, it was hard for Shaq to keep up with his training.

Two of the Greatest Lakers’ Giants

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sits at the top of the NBA’s all-time leader table in terms of scoring while Shaq sits at the #8 position. The greatest icons of the game see Shaq as a player who controlled the game with his brute strength and intellect. Seeing Shaq play was a visual treat for the audience. The Lakers are well known for their legendary players.

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Everyone in the world can agree that each player has shortcomings in different aspects. Shaq’s contribution to winning the 2000,2001 and 2002 NBA championships needs no introduction to the world. He dominated the Finals and became the Finals MVP in the year 2000.  Do tell us your favorite “Shaquille O’Neal” moment in the comment section.