Over the years, there have been debates about the best player, shooter, or defender in the NBA. However, if there is a consensus over a category, it’s the most dominant player. Shaquille O’Neal has dominated the league for more than a decade in his prime. At 7ft 1in and with weight fluctuating between 325 to 400 pounds, Shaq dictated his actions on the floor. In one such instance, Shaq blocked the ball so hard, it caused a blackout in the arena.
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The Big Aristotle was drafted in 1992 by the Orlando Magic and played for the franchise for four years. The Magic organization made the mistake of lowballing the extension offered to the superstar which led to him joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Jerry Buss worked day and night to offer Shaq the contract he wanted amounting to $120 million. The move, which did wonders for the organization, got off to an incredible start with a debut block.
Shaquille O’Neal caused a blackout with a block
Shaquille O’Neal has had multiple superhuman moments on the basketball court by breaking backboards or bending the ring. However, none of them compare the block that led to the arena lights flickering and causing a 1-second blackout during a live broadcast. The play happened against the Phoenix Suns’ where he swatted a layup attempt by Rex Chapman with incredible force. Here is the video posted by ‘Ei8hth Wonder‘ where you can watch the play in action.
The cables attached to the backboard were connected to the lights and linked to the TV connection. When the ball hit the backboard with sudden force, it caused a 1-second long blackout. Rex Chapman, who was on the receiving end of the block, was also amused by the repercussions of the play. The Phoenix Suns player reacted with a laughing emoji on Twitter after the video was posted by ‘Timeless Sports’ in May 2023. Here is the tweet:
(1996) Shaq once blocked Rex Chapman’s layup so hard that it caused the lights in the stadium to flicker… pic.twitter.com/3dyiopskT8
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) May 24, 2023
The game in question also happens to be Shaq’s debut game with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. After playing for the Orlando Magic for four years, the big man was ready to prove himself on the big stage under the brightest lights. The game dated on the first of November, also happened to be on the opening night of the 1996-97 NBA season.
Shaq blocks kids with the same energy off the NBA court
Shaquille O’Neal’s unstoppable force on the NBA court is well known by his colleagues and opposition. However, a bunch of kids weren’t sure if the same energy would translate off the basketball court. In a video posted by TNT, Shaq was seen blocking kids and showing no mercy to their age or size.
The hilarious video had Shaq talk about being competitive and never losing. He mentioned that it doesn’t matter if the opposition is a player, a kid, or an old woman. He is going to bring the same force that he plays with. Shaq said this while ruthlessly smacking the shot attempt by kids in the opposite direction.
