Apart from having a very long list of achievements, Shaquille O’Neal did something that would also be impossible for most people in the world to even think of –having beef with some of the strongest big men in the world.
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Most of us know that the 7ft 1” juggernaut, even early in his 20s, coming in as the #1 pick in the 1992 Draft was a tough matchup even for the likes of Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and every other tough big man in the league.
Alonzo Mourning, who came into the league in the same draft class as O’Neal was among those humungous and super-built athletes whom O’Neal had a lot of back and forth with until they became teammates in Miami.
When Shaquille O’Neal once apologized to Alonzo Mourning
Shaquille O’Neal was not just too big for a basketball player, he was an underrated trash-talker who would first physically diminish you on the post and then let you know when you were down.
Mourning was not someone who would let any kind of bullying fly by him. The 6ft 10’ center of the Miami Heat, was one of the fiercest big man in the league in the 90s and naturally, developed a rivalry with 3-inch taller O’Neal.
However, Shaq, who isn’t famous for letting things go, squashed his beef with the Hornets draftee once he came to Miami for the second time in 2005. He explained it on his podcast.
“I had beef with Alonzo Mourning,” O’Neal said on the Big Podcast With Shaq. “Then when he came to the Heat, I had to sit him down and apologize to him. I said, ‘You know what, Alonzo, I was a hypocrite. I never knew you were this great.’ Alonzo Mourning is a great dude.”
Doesn’t sound like him, right? But, why would he be lying about apologizing to someone? Shaq has too big an ego to apologize even if he is in the wrong. So, good that he settled it with Alonzo. The two went on to help the Dwyane Wade-led Heat win the championship in the 2005-06 season.
How good was Mourning?
As soon as he came into the league, Mourning put up 20-point double-doubles like it was nothing while playing elite defense and blocking over 3 shots per game.
In his heyday, there was no stopping or going past Alonzo Mourning, whatever color or name your jersey had on it.
For his career, the 7x All-Star averaged over 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. He also grabbed 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards, while leading the league twice in blocks. Zo made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
