Given the juggernaut that he was, it was not easy to scare Shaquille O’Neal. However, shortly after arriving in the league, the Big Cactus had the willies when it came time to face a superstar from the 90s… and we understand why.
Imagine a colossus of 2m15 for 140-150 kilos tumbling on you, and you get Shaquille O’Neal. The former pivot was one of the most dominant players to ever exist, and rubbing shoulders with him was often synonymous with bloody slaughter. It also started in his rookie season, in 1992-93. 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks average: the tone was set for a phenomenal career.
However, when he arrived in the league, the number 32 obviously found himself face to face with his idols, such as Patrick Ewing for example. However, another literally filled him with fear during their first face-to-face. When Orlando moves to Chicago on January 16, 1993, Shaq has to deal with the presence of a certain Michael Jordan, in the opposite camp. The fullback is coming off a back-to-back with two Finals MVPs, and needless to say, the big man wasn’t very relaxed about playing him as he explained in 2020 on TNT :
Shaq bullied by Michael Jordan in his early days
I was terrified on the pitch, the whole game. First, he was the best player in the world. Second, I was afraid he would dunk me and I would have to go back to my teammates after that. And third, he was just so hot on the floors. Everything I had seen on TV when I was in college was for real and not just fictional. I was terrified.
Unsurprisingly, the Big Diesel went through his meeting, the Magic also losing 16 points against the defending champion (122-106). O’Neal’s stats: 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists but above all 8 ball losses. Quite modest figures for him! Opposite, MJ had 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in particular. The young interior was however able to show itself in a much better light during their next confrontation, with a mammoth outing: 29 points, 24 holds and 5 blocks!
What may also please the Hall of Famer is that Jordan had a very similar opinion of him, especially in terms of widespread terror on the floors. In 1997, His Airness made a very interesting comment during an interview with SLAM Magazine. His astonishing confession? He hadn’t felt serene either, when confronting the Shaq for the first time!
When was the last time I was bullied in basketball? When I first saw Shaquille O’Neal. I was flabbergasted by his size, he was so tall! I mean, it was a little intimidating factor, but I couldn’t imagine how big it was.
Like many other players before and after him, Shaq had wobbly knees playing against Michael Jordan as a rookie. To say that years later, the pivot inspired the same fear in the interiors coming to rub shoulders with him under the circle!
