“I’m Gonna Knock His Teeth Out His Mouth”: Michael Jordan’s Infamous Teammate Faced Shaquille O’Neal’s Wrath for 1 Big Reason

Shaquille O’Neal is 7’1” and his recorded weight was 325 lbs in his playing days. Shaq was famous for using his build to dominate the opposition. Ever since his LSU Tiger days, people noticed that Shaq was a physical player. He knew how to get players who were assigned to mark him, to get off him. 

Physicality, pushing, and shoving used to be a trait in basketball in the 80s and 90s. When the games often saw a lot of altercations between players. However, physicality is still very important in the modern game but the definition of fouls and refereeing decisions have also changed.

Players do not break into ‘fights’ that often in the recent NBA. Talking about physical altercations, two players who were never shy to have each other face to face were Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis Rodman.

Dennis Rodman was a player for “The Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons who were famous for their physical playing style. He won 2 NBA championships with their philosophy of being utterly physical against the opposition.

ALSO READ: Rodman taunts Shaq.

‘Diesel’ because of his big physique, didn’t get calls a lot of times. However, he had a way of dealing with it and the refs and players were at the receiving end of it, including Dennis Rodman. 

Shaquille O’Neal used to ‘warn’ the refs

Shaq on the recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq mentioned how he used to deal with refs when a decision did not go his way when it was indeed a clear foul on him.

“I always used to tell them, I’m about to make you call a foul because the next move I’m gonna knock his teeth out his mouth. No seriously, I used to tell them, you allowed them to hit me and I can’t do nothing about it? Watch this next move.”

“And I get it and I try to swing my elbow and hey if you [player] get hit in the face, I already know you [ref] ain’t gonna do nothing about it. That’s what I did.” Shaq revealed his way of talking to the refs in situations like these.

He later accepted the fact that it was like Dennis Rodman playing against Shaq. Rodman had to use all his strength, to which Shaq said, “All his strength against me.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Shaq and Dennis Rodman most heated battles.

There were many such instances between Shaq and Rodman. Either Shaq was in Magic or Lakers & Dennis in Pistons, Spurs, or Bulls. The team did not matter. What did matter was them marking each other and going to every length to get the upper hand.

Shaq also said that it was what the game was like earlier in the day. He did not condone violence in the NBA. But he also said that sometimes the players have to do what they have to do.