Shaquille O’Neal was a more than capable defender during his 19-year career, yet chose a different and unorthodox defensive strategy to teach his 8-year-olds.
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Shaquille O’Neal has established himself as one of the game’s greatest. For over 19 years, the 7-footer made his bread-and-butter by dominating the paint on a nightly basis. By the end of his career, O’Neal had a staggering average of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.
Being one of the most assertive big men in the league’s history, Shaq even retired with one of the most illustrious resumes ever – 15 All-Star appearances, 14 All-NBA selections, the 1993 ROY, the 2000 MVP, 2 scoring titles, 4 championships, and 3 Finals MVPs.
The 325-pound beast was a menace down low on both sides of the floor. While he would get buckets at will on the offensive end, defensively it was a tough task for the opponents to get past him. Averaging a staggering 2.3 blocks per game throughout his nearly two-decade-long career, with 3 All-Defensive selections under his belt, Shaq was a pretty capable defender.
“When I say ‘RAAA’ my guys would run at the one guy who’s dribbling and go ‘RAAA’”: Shaquille O’Neal
Clearly, the Lakers legend was one of the most elite defenders. However, years after his retirement, O’Neal chose to teach his 8-year-olds a different and rather bizarrely unique defensive technique.
In an interview with Dove Men+ Care, Shaq revealed the unorthodox defensive strategy he taught his 8-year-old kids – the ‘RAAA’ technique.
Before you scratch your head trying to figure what the meaning of this abbreviation is, let us save you the trouble. The strategy was simple. Whenever Shaq would scream ‘RAAA’ from the sidelines, the kids would go to the guy dribbling the ball and scream ‘RAAA’. This is how the HOFer described it:
“Now that I have boys, I like to coach them. My favorite defense is the ‘RAAA’ defense – R-A-A-A. Keep in mind I’m coaching 8, 9, and 10-year-olds. When I say ‘RAAA’ that means all my guys run at that one guy who’s dribbling the ball and go ‘RAAA’. And he’ll throw the ball away and then we’ll be up by 10 or 15 points. That’s my style and it works.”
As stupid as it sounds, it would’ve been incredibly funny to see Shaq try his own defensive plan in the NBA against the pros. However, knowing Shaq, he would love to use his own tactic if he now got the chance to do so.
Also Read: 7ft Shaquille O’Neal hilariously uncovers morning routine of ‘sleeping with his female interviewers’
