The Orlando Magic drafted Shaquille O’Neal first overall in 1992 not for him to be laid back, coast through the first year, and make a championship bid in a couple of years. As soon as he arrived, the LSU standout won Player of the Week, made records in his first dozen games, brought up the team’s near-dismal record, took down a backboard, and capped off the season with Rookie of the Year. And he posed an outright challenge to the Jordans and Barkleys in the league. Robert Horry, who arrived in the NBA 10 spots after Shaq, witnessed it and sees history repeating itself with Caitlin Clark.

This week on his podcast, Big Shot Bob, Horry addressed Shaq’s recent remarks about Caitlin Clark. “Let’s start off with Shaq. M-f-er you didn’t wait your turn!” the 7x champion said very explicitly. Among the near-unanimous ROTY win, early Finals appearances, and multiple records, Horry cites O’Neal’s inclusion in 1996’s 50th Anniversary Team three years into the big man’s career as an example of Shaq ‘not waiting his turn.’

“It’s not hating. Everybody has to wait their turn,” O’Neal had said while acknowledging the Indiana Fever rookie is good, but she’s also up against prime A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Horry responded by throwing Shaq’s comments at him. Big Shot Bob is one to talk.

He was selected 11th overall after Shaq in the 1992 draft and won two championships with the Rockets within his first three seasons. But that’s his point. He seized the moment. And it’s what Horry believes Clark is doing.

“It’s called seize the moment, seize the day. Let Caitlin take it now and demand it now because there’s so many others players that have come in this league in this league – not just our league, their league you know – and took over, ain’t nothing wrong with a young buck taking over,” Horry said on his podcast, with a solid testimony that, “Shaq took over for a couple year… so let her do her thing.”

Horry is not alone in the sentiment. Several fans responded to Shaq’s comments with a reminder he didn’t sit back patiently for a chance to shine. He asserted dominance and seized the day from the start. And Horry did the same.

When Robert Horry seized the chance to beat Shaquille O’Neal

Before Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Horry won titles with the Lakers, they met in the Finals. Very early, O’Neal established himself as Orlando’s Superman for how far he took the team. When Michael Jordan came out of retirement in 1995, he met Shaq in the Eastern Conference Finals that season. O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and Horace Grant were overwhelming for the Jordan-led Bulls and they lost in a close series.

Beating his idol was overwhelming for Shaq too. O’Neal and the team spent the entire break before the 1995 Finals celebrating his biggest victory in his pre-championship career. That made too much difference in the team’s mindset.

Magic played against the Houston Rockets with Hakeem Olajuwon, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and Robert Horry. As Big Shot Bob said, they seized the moment Shaq’s guard was down and swept Orlando in four games for their second consecutive championship. Shaq learned the lifelong lesson to never party till the job’s done. And Horry learned to not wait his turn.