Former NBA champion Channing Frye had quite a field day on a recent episode of the Road Trippin' pod in roasting none other than himself. Frye opened up on what it was like guarding the great Shaquille O'Neal in Frye's rookie year, and how he told the narrative is just hilarious.

Frye made the big jump to the NBA in 2005 as a highly touted big man coming out of Arizona. The New York Knicks selected a then-22-year-old Frye as their eighth overall pick. As it turns out, Frye quickly realized that things in the NBA were much different than in the NCAA:

“I was a true center in college,” Channing Frye said. “And then they had me in my rookie year, I had to guard Shaq in Miami. I said, ‘This ain't it. This ain't me. I had to learn how to shoot 3s.'”

Frye himself is a 7-footer, but to be faced with a 7-foot-1, 325-pound behemoth in O'Neal was clearly more than he bargained for. Frye then went on to share how difficult life was for him during his younger years, having to also face off against other legendary big men such as Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, and Dikembe Mutombo, to name a few.

Frye then went on to share one particular experience he had involving the “goons” of the Seattle SuperSonics. According to Frye, an encounter against Danny Fortson put everything in perspective for him:

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Photo: Boban Marjanovic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O’Neal

Derick Quinanola ·

“He fouled me so hard one time, I said, ‘You know what, I don't know if I love basketball this much,”” said Channing Frye.

Frye didn't turn out too bad, though. He wasn't a traditional big man, but he was able to evolve his game to remain relevant in the NBA. Unlike some of the other legends he faced, Frye also has an NBA title to his name, so it's not all bad for him.