Mike was a charismatic guy but he was a killer on the basketball court.
As the most dominant force in the NBA’s history, Shaquille O’Neal took pride in defending the shaded lane. That’s why Shaq always said that he never liked getting dunked on. During his career, O’Neal reckoned that he probably got dunked on only three or four times.
“But ‘His Airness’, Michael Jordan, came baseline one time and tried to dunk on me,” said O’Neal. “And it hurt my heart, but I had to flagrant foul him and lay him out. And when I went to shake his hand and pick him up, he said ‘Don’t ever help nobody up’ and he bounced right back up. And I knew then why he was the best player in the game.”
MJ was one of the fiercest competitors ever
Jordan was a very charismatic person off the court, which is why he became the most popular player in the sport. However, once he stepped inside a basketball court, MJ was one of the fiercest competitors ever and did not take any prisoners.
Mike’s ability to transform from Mr. Nice guy off the court into a serial killer once he stepped on it was one of the main reasons for his very successful NBA career. His ability to focus on the goal at hand and eliminate everything that got in his way made him virtually unstoppable.
Like MJ, Big Diesel had the charisma that made him a larger-than-life figure. However, young Shaq was more vicious to the backboard than to his opponents. Born to a military dad, O’Neal was always respectful of others, including his opponents. But Jordan taught him what real respect was.
Shaq learned a valuable lesson from Mike
When Shaq arrived in the NBA, MJ was already in his prime, and they ended up playing only 21 games against each other, including 10 in the playoffs. But despite not playing too many games against the GOAT, Shaq learned a valuable lesson from him.
“It resonated with me later because Pat Riley once told me, ‘You show other players respect by showing them none. Yes, we’re friends, turn into brothers, we’re on different teams. So Michael Jordan said, ‘Yes, we’re friends, brothers, but when we’re on this court, I don’t know you, Shaq.’” added O’Neal.
From the rim-shattering big boy, Shaq matured into the most dominant player to ever play basketball. He would go on to win three championships with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles and help Dwyane Wade win the Miami Heat’s first title banner. Of course, Shaq still retained the foolishness throughout his career. But when it mattered most, he knew when to be dominant.
