Shaquille O’Neal Claimed Not Hitting Hakeem Olajuwon Cost Him the Championship: “He Was Just a Nice Guy and I Didn’t Want to Hurt My Friend”

When someone hears the name Shaquille O’Neal, what comes to mind is the domination that Shaq has had on the court. Several fans and critics alike regard the ‘Big Aristotle’ as the most dominant center ever.

With destructive performances for several teams like the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat, Shaq gave fans several wow moments.

A great player always has great opponents to go up against, and so did Shaq. The man had to play in a league that consisted of several other big-men like Yao Ming, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

In an interview for ‘THE JORDAN HARBINGER SHOW,’ Shaq sat down to discuss several topics, one of which was his battle with Hakeem Olajuwon.

Shaq’s battles with Hakeem

As part of the interview, Shaq shed light on why he wasn’t able to intimidate Hakeem like he did other players by getting into their heads.

“I think I showed him too much respect. We had the same agent at one time, and he was just a nice guy. And I didn’t want to hurt my friend,” said Shaq.

“He kinda set me up because during the regular season, I was having my way with him. So, when we got to the finals that year in Orlando, I was real arrogant,” he added.

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Shaq then shared details of how the Magic’s arrogance cost them. The team partied frequently and even had a mini parade under the assumption that they would be victors that year. But then, Hakeem upped his game and overcame Shaq to win the title 4-0 in a best of 7 series.

Thereafter, Shaq mentioned that against other opponents, he’d assert his dominance and even make an offensive foul at the start of the game so that they would realize that they’re playing against brute force. But this wasn’t the case against Hakeem.

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After the finals loss, it was a lesson for the ‘Big Aristotle’ that he had to bring out his domination to have a better shot at success. He mentioned that this domination was the reason behind his three NBA final MVP awards.

Shaq vs Hakeem – Head-to-Head

Indeed, Shaq was right. He enjoyed more success in the regular season, with a higher average in rebounds and points scored.

However, the story of the playoffs was the opposite. Hakeem had more wins, despite Shaq averaging more than him.

Despite the battles between the two, both of them are NBA legends. And the best part is that their battles gave fans, on both sides, several tense, yet enjoyable moments. Truly, both Shaq and Hakeem are remarkable in their own right.