NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has recently come out with a rather controversial statement, claiming that there were a few select players that he allowed to shoot over him simply because he liked watching them do their thing. 48-year-old Hall of Famer even gave the names of four of the stars he gave certain liberties to.
Shaq says he used to let these players shoot because he loved their game:
▫️ White Chocolate
▫️ Vince Carter
▫️ Tracy McGrady
▫️ Allen Iverson"I could’ve blocked [Iverson’s] shot multiple times, I just didn’t want to"
(via @LefkoeShow) pic.twitter.com/aHi2w7kzh8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 5, 2020
This would have been a ridiculous claim coming from everybody else, and it could actually be a joke knowing him, but this is Shaq we're talking about here, so it is quite believable. O'Neal was the most dominant big man in the game during his time, and arguably even ever, so if he says something like this then we are somewhat inclined to believe him.
Jason Williams, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson were all quite spectacular to watch during their primes, and as it turns out, even Shaq himself was a fan of how they played. So much so, that he allegedly even let them score on him.
Among the four players he mentioned, one of the most memorable matchups O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers had was with Iverson and his Philadelphia 76ers during the 2000-01 NBA Finals. L.A. was absolutely dominant during that particular championship run, winning 11 straight games in the playoffs to reach the Finals undefeated.
Iverson took over Game 1 against L.A., handing Shaq and company just their first loss of the playoffs that year. Maybe this was an example of O'Neal letting Iverson play his game. That loss turned out to be the only one the Lakers would suffer in the postseason, as they dominated the Sixers in the next four games to claim the title in Game 5.
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