via Getty
Lakers Kobe Bryant bumps chests with Shaquille O’Neal after O’Neal got fouled scoring in the first half during the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs at Staples Center Sunday April 21, 2002.Trailblazer Damon Stoudamire looks on from the left. Lakers won 9587. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
via Getty
Lakers Kobe Bryant bumps chests with Shaquille O’Neal after O’Neal got fouled scoring in the first half during the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs at Staples Center Sunday April 21, 2002.Trailblazer Damon Stoudamire looks on from the left. Lakers won 9587. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Shaquille O’Neal will never stand to see his achievements getting discredited by other people. He is the first person to tell you how many “rings” he has won in his entire career. Shaq, in his peak, was the most physically dominant player in the NBA. He combined strength, size, and agility to create a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. His very presence on the court scared opposition players. O’Neal will always be the first person to say how good he was in his career and if anyone cross-questions that, he will get annoyed.
SHAQ in the NBA Finals:
2000 – 38 PPG, 16.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG & 2.3 APG.
2001 – 33 PPG, 15.8 RPG, 4.8 APG & 3.4 BPG.
2002 – 36.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 3.8 APG & 2.8 BPG.
🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/0kh7FYVrPx
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 12, 2022
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But, a Twitter fan decided to tempt fate. It started with the Legion Hoops Twitter account posting Big Diesel’s stats from the 2000-02 NBA Finals. The big man was unstoppable during that time and helped the Lakers do a three-peat.
no person can win without another star big dummy how many would magic have without kareem how many would kenny smith have without hakeem wtf u talking about i hate dumb ass people enjoy my stats and stf up
— SHAQ.SOL (@SHAQ) June 13, 2022
However, there will always be naysayers and one such fan decided to take a dig at him. A user wrote, “Even with all of this Shaq doesn’t win those rings without Kobe.”
This led to the fan being on the receiving end of Shaq’s anger. O’Neal walked back all those years and decided to dunk on this man like it was the year 2000. He came back fiercely and wrote, “No person can win without another star big dummy.”
He added, “How many would Magic (Johnson) have without Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar)? How many would Kenny Smith have without Hakeem (Olajuwon)? wtf u talking about I hate dumb a** people, enjoy my stats and stf up.”
Shaquille O’Neal: A brief look back into those Finals
Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant performer during his playing days. He was the best player in the league from the years 2000 to 2002. His stat lines do prove the same. He scored 38, 33, and 36.3 points per game in those finals. The Lakers faced the Indiana Pacers, the Allen Iverson-led Sixers, and the New Jersey Nets in those Finals.
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Alongside that, he had 16.7, 15.8, and 12.3 rebounds in those Finals. Shaq won three successive Finals MVPs for his efforts. He also had a shooting percentage of 61%,57%, and 59%.
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He won three titles during his time with the Lakers. He could have won more, but that makes O’Neal memorable in the eyes of everyone.
