Shaquille O’Neal confesses to Spurs legend Tim Duncan being the only player he couldn’t break through during his career.
Advertisement
The NBA is yet to witness a force like Shaquille O’Neal. A terror in the paint, the Big Diesel dominated his opponents with his brute strength and freakish athletic ability. A physical specimen, Shaq gave the best in the business a run for their money.
Another facet where the Lakers legend succeeded to a great extent was trash-talking. From his initial years in the league, Shaq didn’t hesitate to talk smack to players like Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Alonzo Mourning. The former Lakers center was intimidated by no one from the very go.
Though Shaq was able to mitigate his way amongst anyone who stood in his way, there was one player that gave the former seven-foot center a hard time. This individual in question was non-other than The Fundamental, Tim Duncan, who remained indifferent towards the Diesel’s antics.
In his autobiography Shaq Uncut: My Story, the three-time Finals MVP admitted that Timmy remained the only player he couldn’t break and that he had no grievances against those calling him the GOAT.
Shaquille O’Neal failed to get past Tim Duncan.
It’s no hidden fact that Duncan exhibited an apathetic demeanor on the hardwood, paying no heed to the surrounding noise. The five-time champion rarely showed emotions, even if it involved posterizing his opponents. Timmy was the backbone of Gregg Popovich’s well-oiled system in San Antonio.
Along with his 6ft 11′ built, Timmy had a set of skills, which included his mid-range jumper. Thus it wasn’t hard to echo Charles Barkey’s statement, calling Duncan the power forward GOAT, something Shaq also didn’t dispute, saying the following.
“The Spurs won because of Tim Duncan, a guy I could never break. I could talk trash to Patrick Ewing, get in David Robinson’s face, get a rise out of Alonzo Mourning, but when I went at Tim he’d look at me like he was bored. Whenever I run into a Tim Duncan fan who will claim Tim Duncan is the GOAT, I won’t disagree with him.”
Well, it’s hard to disagree with the Diesel, given the Spurs legend’s resume, boasting 5-titles, 3-Finals MVPs, and 2-league MVPs, amongst many others.
