“Have You Heard of Michael Jordan?”: Before Choosing LSU, Shaquille O’Neal Was Put Off by Dean Smith’s Obsession With His Old Talent

Three years before he was the consensus top pick in the 1992 NBA draft, Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most sought-after high school basketball players in the country. The center could choose where he wanted to commit to playing in college. Before committing to Louisiana State University, he visited the University of North Carolina, Michael Jordan‘s alma mater. However, head coach Dean Smith‘s off-putting behavior prompted him to take UNC off his list.

In his biography, ‘Shaq Uncut,’ the future Hall of Famer revealed:

“Coach Dean Smith kind of rubbed me the wrong way. He sat down with me in his office and basically told me, “I’m Dean Smith. Here’s what I’ve done. I’m pretty great and have you ever heard of Michael Jordan? I coached him.” He was telling me how much he had won, but I already knew all that.”

O’Neal claimed he wasn’t Smith’s first choice to join the Tar Heels. The head coach had landed center Matt Wenstrom from Mayde Creek High School in Harris County, Texas. O’Neal felt Smith lacked enthusiasm during their meeting because Wenstrom had already committed to playing for UNC. The head coach’s parting message to the future three-time Finals MVP ended the Tar Heels’ chances of landing him. O’Neal revealed:

“The last thing Dean Smith told me was, “If you come here, you can be like Michael, James Worthy, Sam Perkins.” I nodded my head politely but I was thinking, “No. I’m going some place where I’m going to be the first.”

UNC’s loss was LSU’s gain. O’Neal spent three years with the team and established himself as one of the greatest college basketball players. After a decent freshman season, he blossomed into a dominant force in his sophomore year. He averaged 27.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, five blocks, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals. In his junior year, he averaged 24.1 points, 14 rebounds, 5.2 blocks, 1.5 assists, and one block.

O’Neal won the SEC Player of the Year award twice. He was Sports Illustrated’s, Associated Press, and United Press International’s College Basketball Player of the Year in 1991. He declared for the NBA Draft in 1992 and was picked first overall by the Orlando Magic.

Smith’s approach might have cost him one of the most dominant athletes in the sport’s history.

UNC wasn’t good enough for Shaquille O’Neal

Dean Smith’s approach wasn’t the only reason Shaquille O’Neal turned down UNC. During an appearance on The Player’s Tribune’s Knuckleheads podcast, the center revealed another reason why he was put off by the Tar Heels. He explained:

“I don’t like people telling me stuff that sounded too good, cause I never heard that before. As a sophomore, I wasn’t that good. Junior year, okay. Senior year, now I’m starting to make a name for myself. So now they were treating me like Jordan; I was like, ‘I’m good, but I ain’t that good yet.'”

O’Neal also did not like the UNC’s vibe. He gave a hilarious explanation of what the university lacked. He said:

“I went to North Carolina, Rick Fox showed me around, it was too, let me say this without being disrespectful, it wasn’t hood enough for me (Chapel Hill), it was too, ‘Hey sir,’ I don’t like that.”

Another reason O’Neal turned down UNC was their former star, Charles Shackleford. The center spent three years with the Tar Heels between 1985 and 1988 before declaring for the NBA draft. The New Jersey Nets picked him in the second round. O’Neal didn’t want to be dubbed Shackleford’s successor and wanted to adopt his ‘Shaq’ persona. He explained:

“Charles Shackleford, I took his whole style, he was Shaq first. So I was like I’m not going to play next to him, there cant be two Shaq’s. I don’t want to go there.”

Nothing about UNC worked for O’Neal. So he took his talents to LSU. It worked out well for the superstar center, but he would likely have dominated in the same fashion with the Tar Heels.