6’0 Tim Hardaway once made a wrong business decision to take a charge from 7’1 Shaquille O’Neal, who was also around 150 pounds heavier

Akash Murty | 10/09/2022
6'0 Tim Hardaway once made a wrong business decision to take a charge from 7'1 Shaquille O'Neal, who was also around 150 pound heavier

David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, etc. went against Shaquille O’Neal consistently, but Tim Hardaway once dared to do that and regretted it instantly.

Shaquille O’Neal was arguably the most unstoppable player in the game of basketball. Although the league already had a lot of great big men in the 90s, the 7’1 giant’s athleticism with over 300 pounds was really a mismatch for anyone in the sport since he came in 1992.

There was another guy who was also unstoppable for the most part of his career but was more than a foot shorter, weighed 100-150 pounds lesser than O’Neal, and played at the point guard position, mesmerizing everyone with his killer crossovers.

The most recent Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Tim Hardaway once recalled an incident where he attempted something really foolish which could have ended his career if Shaq went on like he used to go against big men.

Also read: Tim Hardaway, who commented against the LGBTQ community once, is now finally enshrined in the Hall of Fame

When Tim Hardaway decided to take a charge from more than a foot taller and 150-pound heavier Shaquille O’Neal

The Big Aristotle on a whim was a career-ender. His highlight reels are some of the most terrifying clips of 7-footers getting humiliated in the paint and on the post like they are just cardboard cutouts.

Timmy did something similar with his crossovers. His career highlights will have some of the most outrageous moves that you would ever see and the number of ankles he broke doing those moves were huge as well.

But once, the Miami Heat guard took his coach Pat Riley’s instructions too seriously and went to get a charge against the Lakers big man in order to foul him out of the game.

The result could have ended his career instead, the 5x All-Star realized it when he saw The Big Diesel running towards him. Here it, in his own words.

Also read: Allen Iverson Claims He Could Have Built His $1 Million Fortune With a Hall of Fame NFL Career

Jeez! We feel you, Mr. Hardaway Sr. You must have seen your whole life flash in front of your eyes with O’Neal tearing through them to take it all the way.

Congratulations on the enshrinement, though.

 

 

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam
LA Lakers Miami Heat Shaquille O'Neal Tim Hardaway Tim Hardaway Sr

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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