Michael Jordan, Who Was Knocked Down by Shaquille O’Neal, Reveals How the ‘Nice Guy’ Failed to Intimidate Him

Michael Jordan is arguably the best player in NBA history. He made use of a perfect combination of style and power as he dominated the NBA. This allowed him to win six titles with the Chicago Bulls. Moreover, it also put the Bulls at the helm of the NBA for several years. However, after winning 3 titles, Jordan decided to step away from the game in 1993.

However, after a brief stint with baseball, Jordan announced to the world that he was back in the NBA. Upon his return, many believed that Chicago would immediately reclaim the Larry O’Brien trophy. However, that was not to be.

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The Bulls would fall to Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite losing, Jordan noticed a flaw in Shaq’s demeanor that allowed him to take advantage of the big man in the following season’s playoffs.

Michael Jordan on Shaquille O’Neal

During a recent episode of the ‘Icons Club‘ podcast, Jordan explained how Shaq failed to intimidate him despite being knocked down by the big man.

“Shaq’s the biggest player I’ve ever seen, in terms of physicality. He was this big, massive guy when I came back from baseball, so I was somewhat intimidated,” said MJ.

Thereafter, MJ mentioned that he was confused about how to go at Shaq offensively. He didn’t know whether to drive against the big man or settle for a pull-up jump shot. However, he decided to go at Shaq only to be knocked down to the floor. But unlike what MJ expected, Shaq reached out to pick him up. This was when MJ identified how he could gain an edge over the ‘Big Aristotle’.

“I said, ‘Naw, he didn’t mean it, he’s a nice guy.’ If he’d have left me, stepped over me, a la the old school, I would’ve been somewhat intimidated,” added MJ.

“But his heart is too good. He’s not that type of guy. It took away some of the intimidation factor,” he explained.

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Despite losing the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Shaq’s Magic, MJ knew he would have the edge in the next battle. And soon enough, that next battle came around. In the 1996 playoffs, following a 72-10 regular-season record, MJ’s Bulls swept the Magic 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Clearly, MJ was not going to give in so easily. After defeating the Magic, the Bulls would beat the Seattle Supersonics in the finals. Thereafter, MJ led to 2 more back-to-back titles. This cemented his legacy as the Greatest of All-Time.