Shaquille O'Neal was a dominant force in the game even before he broke into the NBA in 1992. The 7-foot-1 behemoth was dominant at LSU and in high school, and he was breaking rims and backboards way before he made those viral memories in the league.
Speaking with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on the Knuckleheads podcast, The Big Diesel recalled the first time he broke the rim and how his father, Phillip Harrison, was unimpressed by seeing his son obliterate it:
“I had 45 one time in high school. Three quarters left. I was playing against some little guys. I'm s'posed to be dunking, I'm not dunking [yet],” said Shaquille O'Neal. “So I lay it up, finger roll, and miss. My dad walked onto the court, he's a drill sergeant. He said, ‘Yo, man. Call a timeout!'
“I call a timeout, I go outside. He said, ‘Yo man, whatchu doing?' I said, ‘Y'know, I'm working on my Dr. J, Magic s**t' — whoa, whap — He smacked me.
“Nah, it ain't no Magic, Dr. J. You Shaq. Be Shaq.”
"Supos'd to do that." @SHAQ's dad liked it when he broke backboards.
🔊: https://t.co/ZyWXxhSVbO pic.twitter.com/OmGDkzj81H
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 20, 2020
“After he punched me, I ain't crying, but I got a tear in my eye,” Shaq continued. “I break the rim, I look back — he don't smile or nothing. Nah, he just looking at me like (nods), ‘Yeah, you're s'posed to do that.
“So the next game I'm like, ‘Oh, you don't like that? What about this one? Or this one?”
Shaquille O'Neal had a high standard to follow from the jump, as he was always taller and bigger than his competition. He was only 6-foot-6 as a freshman in high school and was cut from the team due to his clumsiness.
He would, however, go on to forge his own physically imposing style of play and develop a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, making him one of the most dominant players in the history of the game. Shaq won three consecutive titles alongside the late Kobe Bryant and then another with the Miami Heat.
Follow Us
Subscribe