When Shaquille O’Neal Created a Fake Story to Get Back at San Antonio Legend David Robinson

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest players to play in the NBA. Just like any of the greats, Shaq had the killer instinct as well. He did anything to gain motivation. However, it may be the first time that someone created fake drama to get that additional motivation. Well, the Big Diesel pulled the move on another great center, David Robinson.

Robinson had been one of the greatest players in the league. He led the San Antonio Spurs season after season and continued to grow his resume. When Shaq came in, he had his eyes set to overthrow David for the best center. However, in 1994, David dominated Shaq.

Hence, for an extra bit of fuel, Shaquille O’Neal shared an incident with David Robinson. It turns out that it was fake all along.

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Shaquille O’Neal creates fake beef for motivation?

Shaq was an extremely competitive player during his time. Since coming into the league, he quickly asserted himself as one of the best big men in the league. However, David Robinson was always regarded as the best center. Hence, these two were at constant war. In 1994, Robinson put on a masterclass against Shaq going off for 36 points and 13 rebounds.

Out of spite, Shaq shared a story about Robinson. He said when he was 15, David denied young Shaq an autograph which is the reason he plays hard against him. Nearly a decade later, Shaq revealed a dirty secret. He only created this story to light the fire in him. The media took to the fake story and Shaq gained all the motivation he needed.

The two greats played each other a total of 40 times through their NBA career. Robinson took the edge in the regular season but O’Neal got the better in the postseason. When it comes to the numbers, Shaq was all over David. The Big Diesel averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks against Robinson. In fact, The Big Admiral’s 1994 performance was his best against Shaq.

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However, it is surreal to think O’Neal put on a whole show just to get the extra bit of motivation. Now, after a decade, he came out clean but the two legends are friends despite their battles.

Do you think Shaq would dominate even without the fake story? Let us know in the comments below.